Disturbed Lives
by BrandedButterfly
Summary: Lindsey gets involved in trouble, and can't get out. She's sentenced to 18 mo of camp greenlake of course. With a lot on her mind, she finds it hard to adjust to camp.
1. trouble

Okay, this is my second holes ficcy, so read my other one too okay? I don't own what's not mine but what is I do, okay? Yeppers! Now read on!!  
  
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Lindsey (ha ha! I used a normal name! Yay!) leaned against the brick wall, the wind whipping her loose black hair against her face. She took another drag of her cigarette, pulling her coat tighter about her slender frame.  
  
The bell rang inside the building.  
  
"Shit. We're late." Her best friend, Jessica, exclaimed.  
  
"At least you've got Smith next." Lindsey said, dropping her cigarette and crushing it beneath the sole of her converse high tops. "She's easy. I've got Harding."  
  
"Sorry." Jessica said apologetically, putting out her own cigarette.  
  
They headed back into the school building. Jessica already had all her books, so she didn't have to go to her locker. Lindsey, however, had been lazy that morning and hadn't gone to her locker before break. She had to stop and get her history book before she could go to class.  
  
The whole class stared at her as she walked in.  
  
"Is there a reason you're late, Miss Miller?" Mr. Harding asked, fixing her with a piercing gaze behind his thick eyeglasses.  
  
"Yeah." Lindsey crossed her arms in front of her.  
  
"Well?" Mr. Harding urged after she hadn't said anything for several more minutes.  
  
"I don't feel like sharing it with you." Lindsey replied airily.  
  
"Please take a seat, Miss Miller." Mr. Harding sighed heavily.  
  
"Whatever." Lindsey shrugged, shouldering her backpack. She made her way down the aisle toward her seat in the back of the class. A hand shot out and grabbed her butt. She smacked the guy hard. "I do NOT believe that belongs to you, Jeremy." She said acidly.  
  
"That's not what you said a year ago." Jeremy said, cracking up. His breath reeked of alcohol; he'd been drinking with his buddies during break.  
  
"Just because you are the father of my child does not mean that you have free reign with me." She said, shoving him hard. His entire desk fell over. The class laughed, and Lindsey placidly took her seat.  
  
As soon as school let out, Lindsey said goodbye to Jessica and went to the parking lot to her car. She drove to work immediately, pulling up her silky black locks as she drove. She worked at a coffee shop on the mall strip.  
  
"You're late, Lindsey." Maddie, her twenty-five year old boss, said to her as soon as she came in the door.  
  
"I'm sorry, Maddie." Lindsey apologized, tying her apron on. "Traffic was bad, and I couldn't get here any faster."  
  
"Well, I'll let you off this time, but only because we don't have any customers yet." Maddie said.  
  
"Thanks." Lindsey mumbled.  
  
As soon as five o'clock hit, Lindsey handed the shop over to her co-worker, Daniel, and drove to the nursery school.  
  
"You're late, Miss Miller." The old woman at the desk, Ms. Griswald, said. She gave Lindsey a reproving glare.  
  
"Sorry, I've been late all day." Lindsey apologized, signing her name on the check-out list. "Where's Gabriella?"  
  
"She's in the toy room." Ms. Griswald replied, going back to the trashy romance novel she was reading.  
  
"Gabby," Lindsey called, going into the toy-strewn 'toy room'.  
  
"Mommy!" Gabriella, her two year old daughter, cried, running to give her mother a hug. Lindsey scooped her tiny daughter into her arms and spun her around.  
  
"You ready to go home, sweetie?" She asked, blowing a raspberry on Gabriella's cheek.  
  
"Yeah!" Gabby giggled.  
  
During the thirty minute drive to the house, Gabby filled Lindsey in on what Little Johnny had done to Mary-Jane that morning during snack time, and how Suzie had gotten hurt during recess.  
  
"Let's hope grandma's got something good on for dinner." Lindsey said, getting Gabby out of her car-seat and carrying her through the front door into the house.  
  
"Lindsey? Is that you?" Her mother, Ms. Miller, called from the kitchen. She didn't sound happy.  
  
"Yeah mamma!" Lindsey called back. She set Gabby down in the living room amid a dollhouse and a Barbie car. "Stay here sweetheart, okay? Mommy's gonna go talk to grandma."  
  
"Otay." Gabby said cheerfully, picking up a doll and beating her against the dollhouse. Lindsey stood back up and made her way into the kitchen, unzipping her jacket as she went.  
  
"Today has been so long, mamma, you have no-" Lindsey stopped in the middle of removing her scarf from around her neck. Ms. Miller was sitting at the kitchen table with a tall older man wearing a crisp business suit. "What's going on?" Lindsey demanded. "Who's this?"  
  
"Lindsey, this is Officer Marshall." Ms. Miller said, looking down at her folded hands with a frown on her lined face.  
  
"So what?" Lindsey said, shaking back her long hair and fixing them both with a piercing glare. "What's he doing here?"  
  
"Miss Miller," Officer Marshall stood up and extended his hand to her. She ignored it and he dropped it back to his side. "I'm here to question you a bit. Please, have a seat."  
  
"I don't want to sit." Lindsey declared.  
  
"Lindsey, just sit down!" Ms. Miller snapped. Lindsey finally gave in and sank into one of the wooden kitchen chairs.  
  
"Thank you, Miss Miller." Officer Marshall smiled, opening a folder he'd brought with him. "May I call you Lindsey?"  
  
"No." Lindsey replied shortly.  
  
"Well then." Officer Marshall cleared his throat. "Where were you last Friday night, Miss Miller?"  
  
"I was out with some friends." Lindsey shrugged.  
  
"Which friends?" Marshall pressed.  
  
"Jessica Taylor and Will Hart." Lindsey said.  
  
"You do know that William Hart was taken into custody yesterday evening and is awaiting a trial, don't you?" Marshall asked.  
  
"Yes." Lindsey replied. "Jessica told me at school today."  
  
"And do you know how Jessica found out?"  
  
"Yeah, they were cousins!" Lindsey snapped. "Now is there a point to all this or are you just here wasting my time?"  
  
"I note that you didn't ask why Mr. Hart was taken into custody." Marshall said. "Did you already know?"  
  
"Yeah, Jessica told me." Lindsey said, getting annoyed. "He got busted for some drug deal."  
  
"A drug deal that we as the authorities believe you and Miss Taylor played a large part in."  
  
"Woah, hold up there!" Lindsey stood up. "You think me and Jess had something to do with this?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I made that quite clear."  
  
"Well you've got it all wrong!" Lindsey snapped. "Jessica and I would never help that dumbass in any of his stupid jobs!"  
  
"Miss Taylor seems to say otherwise." Officer Marshall said. He slid a piece of paper across the table to her. "Here is your trial date and time. Your sentence will be decided there." He smiled broadly. "Have a nice day." And he showed himself out of the house.  
  
"Mamma, I didn't do it." Lindsey said immediately. "I don't care what Jessica said! You know I wouldn't deal in drugs!"  
  
"I don't know what I know anymore, Lindsey." Ms. Miller sighed heavily. "I also 'knew' that you weren't the kind of girl to go around getting pregnant, but here you are with a child and another one on the way."  
  
"Mamma, I'm sorry." Lindsey sank back into her chair, holding her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, okay?"  
  
"Why don't you take Gabby and help her wash her hands while I put dinner on the table?" Ms. Miller suggested.  
  
Lindsey heaved a great sigh and went back to the living room. "C'mon Gabby, baby." She said, picking up the toddler. "Let's go wash your hands for dinner."  
  
"Kay." Gabby smiled and tugged on Lindsey's hair.  
  
When she got to school the next morning, Jessica was waiting for her in the parking lot. She was sitting on the stone wall, wrapped in a heavy coat and smoking a cigarette.  
  
"Jessica! What the hell were you thinking!" Lindsey burst out, stomping up to her friend. "You told the cops that I helped? This was supposed to be between the three of us, Jessica!"  
  
"I panicked!" Jessica said, rocking back and forth on the wall. "I couldn't help it! When the cops showed up at my door, I didn't want to take the blame by myself. Will probably told too."  
  
"That's traitorous, Jess! You promised!" Lindsey accused, readjusting her backpack. "Now, thanks to you, I've got to go to court on Saturday."  
  
"I'm sorry!" Jessica exclaimed.  
  
"Whatever. I've got to go to class." And Lindsey brushed right past her and into the school building.  
  
Despite her calm exterior, Lindsey was incredibly nervous as she drove her mother and daughter to her trial at the courthouse downtown.  
  
"Now, just tell the truth baby, and you won't get in trouble." Ms. Miller said. "Gabby, stop kicking my seat."  
  
"I'll tell the truth, mamma, but I don't think I'm gonna get off easy." Lindsey muttered, pulling into a parking space. She got Gabby from the car seat and she, Ms. Miller, and Gabby headed inside.  
  
"Hi. I'm here for my trial." Lindsey said to the man at the security desk. "My name's Lindsey Miller."  
  
"Right up the hall there. Courtroom two." The guy pointed.  
  
"Thanks." Lindsey said. They entered the indicated courtroom. Lindsey was led to the front table, while Ms. Miller and Gabby sat in the deserted pews. The judge entered and they got down to business.  
  
"Miss Miller, please take the stand." The judge said. Lindsey got into the tiny box, vowed to tell the truth, and sat down. "Now, you have been accused of being involved in a drug deal involving a Mr. William Hart and a Miss Jessica Taylor. Do you deny these charges?"  
  
"No." Lindsey replied.  
  
"Well, that was easy." The judge said, smiling to himself. "Explain exactly what your role was in this drug deal."  
  
"I request that this is not put on file." Lindsey said.  
  
"Granted." The judge nodded. "Continue."  
  
"The three of us, me, Will, and Jess, have been dealing in drugs for nearly three years now." Lindsey said. "Will contacted people to get the drugs, I slept with them for payment, and Jess sold it off. That's how I was involved. On Friday, I showed up but only to say that I was out. I didn't want to do it anymore."  
  
"And that's what happened?" The judge asked.  
  
"Yes." Lindsey nodded. Ms Miller hid her face in her hands, and Lindsey felt more ashamed than she'd ever felt before in her life.  
  
"Very well." The judge said. "Miss Miller, I am giving you an option here, because you were so willing to confess and because you were making an effort to end your deals. You can either go to jail, where your two friends are undoubtedly going, or you may attend a juvenile correctional camp in Greenlake, Texas."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll go to camp then." Lindsey said, feeling her heart sinking.  
  
"All right." The judge clacked his gavel on the podium. "Lindsey Miller, you are being sentenced to eighteen months of Camp Greenlake. Case closed." Lindsey let herself out of the stand and went over to her mother and daughter. She picked Gabby up and held her on her hip.  
  
Ms. Miller just stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked finally. "I would have gotten you help, baby!"  
  
"I wouldn't have accepted help, mamma." Lindsey said, hanging her head in shame. "I know what I did was bad, but I'm gonna make it up to you. I promise."  
  
"Well, we'd better get home." Ms. Miller said, buttoning up her coat and picking up her huge handbag. "You've got some packing to do before tomorrow."  
  
Dinner was incredibly uncomfortable that evening. Lindsey had been trying to fix things, make them right. And now it was all out in the open. At least Jeremy, Gabby's father, hadn't been brought into the whole thing. She'd gotten pregnant, after all, getting drugs from Jeremy.  
  
The next morning, Ms. Miller drove Lindsey to the courthouse, where a bus was waiting to whisk her away to her new home for the next eighteen months.  
  
"Be careful, baby." Ms. Miller kissed her daughter's forehead.  
  
"I will be mamma." Lindsey promised. She hugged Gabby tightly and blew a raspberry on her forehead. "You obey grandma while mommy's gone, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Gabby agreed.  
  
"I love you, sweetie." Lindsey said.  
  
"I love you too, mommy." Gabby said, hugging Lindsey tightly around the neck.  
  
"You'll be okay without me? Taking care of Gabby?" Lindsey asked her mother.  
  
"I'll be fine, baby." Ms. Miller forced a smile. "I raised you, didn't I? Didn't do a very good job though."  
  
"No, mamma, you did." Lindsey insisted. "I'm gonna make it all better, I promise."  
  
"Listen girl, you better get on." The guard said.  
  
"All right, I'm coming." Lindsey snapped. She kissed her daughter and mother once more. "Bye mamma. Bye sweetie." Then she turned to the guard. "Okay, I'm ready."  
  
He snapped some handcuffs around her wrists and forced her up the steps of the old bus. Ms. Miller stood by her car with Gabby in her arms and watched the bus pull away.  
  
"Things will get better, sweetie." She promised Gabby in a whisper. "Your mommy's gonna get everything together."  
  
And she climbed into her car and drove back home.  
  
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Okay, so what did you think? I'm gonna have so much fun writing this! Lol. Yay!! Okay, you better review or I won't update anymore!! Which is hard for me, because I update soooo often!! Okay, you better review!! KK?? Fun stuff!! Luvs!! (ps review!!) 


	2. camp greenlake

Thanks for the reviews so far!! Don't worry, I won't let my story get THAT bad! LOL! Okay, I don't own what's not mine, but what is I do, got it? Good!! And yes, Lindsey is gonna fall for one of the guys (hee hee hee, fall BIG TIME) but you'll just have to wait to see which one!! Who do you think it should be? Kay, now read!  
  
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By the time the bus pulled onto a very long, dirt road leading to the camp, Lindsey was frying. Her hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, was sticking to her forehead and the back of her neck. The handcuffs were rubbing blisters on her wrists, and the bottom of her thighs were sticking to the vinyl seat-covering.  
  
There was a guard sitting in a seat facing him. His side of the bus was shaded, and Lindsey disliked him greatly for that.  
  
"Here we are. Camp Green Lake." The driver said. Lindsey peered out the grimy bus windows. She couldn't see much of anything. There wasn't a lake, and nothing was green. There were a couple of wooden buildings, four or five large tents, and then there wasn't much else except holes.  
  
The guard jerked himself out of his doze. "Come on." He barked gruffly. He unlocked the handcuffs around her wrists.  
  
"Thank god." Lindsey muttered to herself, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She followed the guard off the bus. The sun beat down on her, making her even hotter than she already was, if that was possible. There were a bunch of boys looking at her, staring as if she were an alien. "Take a picture! It might last longer!" She yelled.  
  
"Come on and stop provoking them." The guard grumbled, grabbing her roughly around the upper arm. He led her into one of the wooden buildings.  
  
A man wearing a cowboy hat was sitting behind the desk. He was gnawing away on a handful of sunflower seeds, but he stopped when they entered.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" The man demanded in a very country accent.  
  
"The new camper, Mr. Sir." The guard said quickly.  
  
"But-" Mr. Sir began, then he shook his head. "Whatever. So you're..." He looked at a folder on his desk. "Lindsey Miller?" She nodded. "All right, this is not a girl scouts camp!" (AN. We all know how this little speech goes so I'm just gonna skip over it, okay? I don't like wasting time on things everybody already knows!)  
  
"Here's your tent, Lindsey." Mr. Pendanski said. They ducked into the tent. There were six boys sitting around, but they all stopped what they were doing and stared at Pendanski and Lindsey. "Boys, meet your new tent-mate, Lindsey!" Pendanski said cheerfully. "Show her around, make her feel welcome!" And he left.  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment.  
  
Finally, a tall black boy with thick, dirty glasses approached her. "Hi," He said. "I'm X-"  
  
"I don't like guys. I don't want to have anything to do with any of you for the entire time I'm here. Do I make myself clear?" Lindsey interrupted sharply. They all stared at her. "Now shut your mouths and tell me where I'm supposed to sleep."  
  
They all pointed to an empty cot.  
  
"Thank you." Lindsey said dryly, dropping her bag on the cot. She turned her back on them and changed into her orange jumpsuit. She left the top hanging down, because it was just too hot. She was wearing a white wife beater (undershirt) underneath.  
  
"What'd you do to get sent here?" A fat black kid asked.  
  
"Didn't I just say that I didn't want to talk to any of you?" Lindsey snapped. Then she sighed and finished braiding her hair. "I was involved in something with a couple of my friends. They got sent to jail."  
  
"So why'd you get sent here?" A skinny, brunette kid wearing a backwards visor asked. He was twitching uncontrollably.  
  
"I dunno." Lindsey shrugged, zipping up her bag. "I guess because I was trying to get out."  
  
"Out of what?" A tall, blonde kid asked. His hair was incredibly messy, and he had very bright blue eyes.  
  
"What I was doing." Lindsey sighed exasperatedly. She sank down on her cot, a pitiful excuse for a bed.  
  
"I'm X-ray." The tall black kid introduced himself, AGAIN. "This is Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, and Twitch."  
  
"Nice names." Lindsey said sarcastically.  
  
"They're nicknames." Magnet explained. "You'll get one someday too, Chica."  
  
"Nah, that's okay." Lindsey replied.  
  
"We're going to the wreck room. You wanna come?" Twitch offered.  
  
"Uh, I think I'll pass." Lindsey said, turning her back on them again.  
  
"Okay." Twitch shrugged, and they left. They were talking quietly to each other as they left, and Lindsey knew it was about her.  
  
She skipped dinner that evening. As she lay in bed that night, the snores of Armpit filling her head, she rested her hand gently on her stomach. She could sense the baby inside her womb; she was nearly five months along now, and starting to show.  
  
When the bugle went off the next morning, Lindsey did NOT want to get up.  
  
"God, what time is it?" She moaned, pulling her pillow over her face.  
  
"Four-thirty." Squid said. His cot was next to hers. (AN. She's taken Caveman's place and his cot was next to Squid's)  
  
"Why the hell do we have to get up this early?" She demanded angrily, pulling her hair up into a loose, messy bun.  
  
"So we don't have to dig during the hottest part of the day." Magnet explained.  
  
"I don't think I can do this." Lindsey sighed heavily.  
  
"We'll help you." X-ray said, smiling reassuringly at her. She smiled back, despite herself.  
  
"Thanks." She muttered, looking away.  
  
"In fact, you can even use my special shovel." X-ray went on, offering it to her. "It's shorter than the others."  
  
"Smaller shovel, smaller hole." Squid pointed out. (AN. Don't u hear that one a lot??)  
  
"Oh." Lindsey looked at the shovel she held in her hands. It didn't look any different from the other ones, but she didn't say anything about it.  
  
Not surprisingly, Lindsey was the last one done. ZigZag and Magnet stayed and helped her finish it.  
  
"Thanks." She said as they started back around two that afternoon.  
  
"No problem." Magnet said, smiling at her. He had his bandanna tied over his head, and it was drenched in sweat and kind of a turn-off. (AN sorry if ur a magnet fan)  
  
"There's the showers." ZigZag said, pointing.  
  
"You mean I have to shower in there?" Lindsey asked, appalled.  
  
"Unless they've built new showers that they didn't tell us about." Magnet cracked. Lindsey rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll wait until it's dark to go." She said. "I don't want a lot of peeping-toms on my hands."  
  
"That's probably a good idea." ZigZag agreed.  
  
"So, you wanna come with us to the wreck room?" Magnet offered.  
  
"No. I don't think I'll enjoy it very much." Lindsey said. "What kind of food do they serve for dinner? I really want pickles and mustard."  
  
"Ugh, that sounds disgusting." ZigZag made a face.  
  
"I dunno if it is. I've never had it." Lindsey informed him. "I just really want some."  
  
"How do you know you want it if you've never had it?" Magnet pressed.  
  
Lindsey glared at him. "How do you know you want sex when you're still a virgin?" She demanded. Neither boy had an answer for that, so they fell silent.  
  
"I can't eat this stuff." Lindsey said as they sat around the table for dinner.  
  
"Not pickles and mustard, huh?" ZigZag grinned.  
  
"Definitely not." Lindsey pushed her tray away. "Who runs this place? I've gotta get some pickles and mustard."  
  
"The warden." Armpit said ominously. He pointed to the woman watching from the doorway.  
  
Lindsey walked up to the woman boldly. "Warden," She began.  
  
"Excuse me?" The warden demanded. "Who are you?"  
  
"Lindsey, I'm new." Lindsey said. "I'm not complaining about the food or anything, but I really need some pickles and mustard."  
  
"Pickles and mustard?" The warden looked revolted. Then a look of comprehension dawned on her face. She lowered her voice. "Are you late?"  
  
"Very." Lindsey nodded solemnly.  
  
"Mr. Sir, get this girl some pickles and mustard." The warden called. Mr. Sir reluctantly handed Lindsey what she wanted, and she went back to the table cheerfully.  
  
"How did you get that?" Squid demanded incredulously.  
  
"I'm a girl." Lindsey batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, dipping a pickle into the mustard and popping it into her mouth. "I can get whatever I want."  
  
At the end of the month, Lindsey was pretty much settled in. She was also getting bigger.  
  
"Has the warden been feeding you something she's not giving us?" X-ray demanded suspiciously. "No offense, Lindsey, but you're getting fat."  
  
"I am not fat!" Lindsey shrieked hotly. Then she sat down and patted her stomach gently. "I'm pregnant, you idiot."  
  
"Pregnant?" Twitch and ZigZag said in unison, shocked.  
  
"Mmmm." Lindsey nodded, brushing her loose hair behind her thrice pierced ear. The night sky was dark.  
  
"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into." Squid said angrily.  
  
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KK, I gotta run so review!! I gotta go to my mom's house so I won't be posting as much next week, okay? REVIEW!! luvs 


	3. bad news

Hey hey, sorry it's taken me a full week to review. I was at my mom's house and I don't review at all when I'm there. But now I'm back so I'll prolly review about four or five times a week!! LOL!! Anyway, about being late: when a girl is pregnant she doesn't have her period. And when you're late for your period, it means that your pregnant. So when she says she's very late, it means she hasn't had her period in several months which means she's several months pregnant, savvy? Kiwi kiwi, read on and review mates!!  
  
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Lindsey didn't know why Squid was so upset. She was the pregnant one, after all, not him. That WOULD be an unusual sight, she had to admit.  
  
"What's your problem?" She demanded crossly, her hand still resting on her poochy belly.  
  
"You don't know how to be a mother!" Squid snapped angrily, his face red with rage. "You'll be irresponsible, and you'll leave your child to grow up on it's own, cold and hungry!" And he stomped from the tent.  
  
"What's his deal with mothers?" Lindsey asked, not cross anymore but merely curious.  
  
"His mom's an alcoholic, and he doesn't know his dad." X-Ray explained softly. "He doesn't like to think that anybody would grow up in circumstances like his."  
  
"Oh." Lindsey thought back to Gabby, alone with her mother back home. Then she burst out crying, afraid Gabby thought she was a bad mother.  
  
"What's wrong?" ZigZag asked, startled.  
  
"I don't want my baby to think I'm a bad mother!" She wailed, burying her face in her hands.  
  
"Don't worry." Magnet said gently. "We're sure you'll be a good mother."  
  
About a month later, they were sitting around the tent with Pendanski, having a group meeting.  
  
"Lindsey," Pendanski said. Lindsey looked up from where she was giggling at a joke Twitch had just made.  
  
"Yeah?" She asked.  
  
"Why don't you tell us what you want to do when you get out of here?" Pendanski suggested.  
  
"Well, I want to finish high school," Lindsey said, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. It was free of makeup-she hadn't worn any lipstick or gloss in nearly two months. "I want to settle down, get married, have a family." She patted her stomach fondly, and everybody smiled. Except Squid; he glared at the ground moodily, folding his arms in front of him. "Then I want to go to college, get a scholarship if I can."  
  
"Well that's a very good goal, Lindsey." Pendanski said cheerfully.  
  
"The only one of us with real goals," Magnet cracked, and they all laughed.  
  
"Yeah, face it, Sugar is the only one of us that's ever gonna make something outta her life." ZigZag grinned.  
  
"Aww, you guys can come and visit my perfect world." Lindsey grinned at the affectionate nickname she'd been given and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Pendanski," The warden appeared in the tent doorway. "I need to speak with you a moment."  
  
"Uh, keep talking amongst yourselves," Pendanski urged, climbing to his feet. "I'll be right back." And he disappeared through the tent flap.  
  
"What are we supposed to be talking about?" Magnet asked, and they all laughed (AN you know how when you get high off of air? That's what they were right now)  
  
"Are you guys gonna get married, start a family?" Lindsey asked, leaning back on her cot.  
  
"Probably not." Twitch said, twitching. "I can't sit still long enough to have kids." They all laughed loudly.  
  
"I don't think it really involves being still, Twitch!" Armpit pointed out.  
  
Just then Pendanski came in, looking uncomfortable. "Lindsey, I'm afraid I have some bad news." He said. Lindsey stopped laughing and looked up, confused. "Your mother was in a car accident. I'm afraid she didn't make it."  
  
"What?" Lindsey's eyes grew wide and her face paled. Everything was silent. X-Ray reached out and patted her hand comfortingly. Then she jerked back to reality. "Where's Gabby?" She demanded shrilly.  
  
"Who's Gabby?" Magnet asked.  
  
Lindsey didn't answer.  
  
Pendanski turned to the flap. "Come here, girl. It's okay." He said, beckoning somebody in. Gabby came tentatively inside, sucking her thumb.  
  
"Gabby!" Lindsey exclaimed.  
  
"Mommy!" Gabby cried, and she ran to Lindsey's out-stretched arms. Lindsey gathered her up on her lap, crowded by her over-sized belly, and rocked her daughter gently. "Grandma's hurt. She's hurt real bad." Gabby sobbed into Lindsey's stomach.  
  
"I know." Lindsey said gently, stroking Gabby's hair softly. She didn't say it out loud, but she didn't know where Gabby would go if her mother was dead.  
  
"Lindsey, there's a woman here to talk to you about your daughter's welfare." Pendanski said. "Why don't you step into the warden's office and speak with her."  
  
Lindsey set Gabby down gently. She pointed to X-Ray. "This is uncle Rex." She told Gabby. "He's going to watch over you for a minute, okay baby?"  
  
"Okay." Gabby sniffled. Lindsey kissed her firmly on the forehead, then followed Pendanski to the warden's cabin.  
  
There was a tall woman, with graying hair and a business suit, waiting for her in there in the air conditioning.  
  
"You must be Lindsey," The woman said, holding out her hand. Lindsey shook it awkwardly. "I'm Ms. Timms. Have a seat; I think we need to talk."  
  
"I'll stand, thank you." Lindsey replied.  
  
"Suit yourself." Ms. Timms shrugged, sitting down and crossing her legs primly. "I'm here to discuss the welfare of your daughter, Gabriella. Since your mother has passed away, you have no other family to care for her, and you are in a correctional facility, I'm afraid we're going to have to turn her over to the state. She's young and sweet; I'm sure she'll find a foster family very quickly."  
  
"No!" Lindsey shrieked.  
  
"Now calm down Lindsey." Ms. Timms said sternly. "You can't possibly think to keep her here. It is completely unsuitable."  
  
"You can't take her away from me!" Lindsey cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "She's all I've got left!"  
  
"Well it looks to me like you've got a little something left." Ms. Timms said, indicating Lindsey's large belly. "And as soon as that one is born, it'll be given to the state as well. Do you know if it's a girl or a boy?"  
  
"No." Lindsey said miserably, sinking down onto a chair. Then she glanced up, as though not daring to be hopeful. "Is there any chance I can get my kids back when I get out of here?"  
  
"A very small one." Ms. Timms said absently, writing something in a black book. "If your children want to go with you instead of staying at their foster home, they may. But that is highly doubtful."  
  
"But there's still a chance?" Lindsey asked, wiping one side of her face and leaving it streaked with a mix of tears and dirt.  
  
"Yes, a small one." Ms. Timms repeated pointedly. "Now, here is my cell phone number." She handed Lindsey a business card. "When your sentence here at Camp Greenlake is finished, you may call me and I will tell you where to find your children."  
  
"Fine." Lindsey said resolutely. Then she looked Ms. Timms in the eye. "I WILL get my children back."  
  
Ms. Timms rolled her eyes. "I'll be waiting by my car." She said impatiently. "Bring Gabriella out to me when you're finished saying goodbye."  
  
Lindsey returned half-heartedly to D tent. X-Ray and the boys were playing a lively game with Gabby, and Gabby was holding Squid's hand and giggling profusely.  
  
"Mommy!" Gabby cried excitedly, still clutching Squid's hand. Squid smiled at her almost shyly.  
  
"Gabby, come here a minute baby." Lindsey said, holding out her arms. Gabby reluctantly let go of Squid's hand and came to Lindsey. Lindsey lifted her up onto her hip and held her close. "You're going to go stay with some very nice people for a while. Mommy'll come and get you just as soon as I can, okay? It might be a little while, but you'll be ready to come home when I get there, right baby?"  
  
"Right mommy." Gabby agreed, her little face serious.  
  
"I love you so much, baby." Lindsey kissed her forehead again, then blew a raspberry. Gabby giggled. "You're going to go back with Ms. Timms. She's gonna take you to the nice people."  
  
"I don't wanna go, mommy!" Gabby said, clinging to Lindsey's neck tightly.  
  
"You have to baby." Lindsey said, hugging her tightly. "But I promise I'll come and get you just as soon as I can."  
  
"Promise?" Gabby asked timidly.  
  
"I swear." Lindsey nodded. Then she took Gabby out to Ms. Timms, who was waiting impatiently by her Sedan, parked by the warden's cabin. "Bye baby. I love you."  
  
She returned, tears sliding slowly down her tanned cheeks, to the D tent. They were all waiting for her.  
  
Squid held open his arms and she fell into them, sobbing uncontrollably. "I was wrong." He whispered. "You're a wonderful mother." And he kissed her gently on the cheek.  
  
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Hee hee!! I told ya there would be romance lata on!! How'd ya like?? Sorry it was short, but there'll be longer chaps in the future. I hope it was okay...I had some trouble with it, so review and tell me if it was okay. Savvy?? Sweet. Luvs!! 


	4. 12 more months

Hee hee! I like getting lotsa reviews!! Keep it up cause the more u review the faster I post, savvy? OMG it was so snowing like a lot here last night and now it's almost warm and there's not a sign of snow anywhere. It makes me so sad!!  
  
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Lindsey and Squid spent a lot of the next two months together. They ate lunch sitting side by side, Squid and one of the other boys always stayed behind to help her finish her hole (She was so big now she could hardly fit in her hole, and when it got too deep she had to get out before she got stuck.), and they always walked back together. Nobody ever saw them kiss, hug, or even hold hands. They were just very close friends.  
  
They had just returned from a long day of digging. Squid and X-ray (who was the other boy who had stayed behind to help finish her hole that day) had guarded the showers while she took a shower, washing the grime from her hair and body. Then she got dressed, and she and Squid returned to the tent.  
  
"Do you want to come to the wreck room?" Magnet, who was also in the tent, offered. At least one of the guys offered every afternoon, and every afternoon Lindsey declined.  
  
"Nah. I think I'll just stay in the tent." She replied, sinking down onto the cot. It sank precariously under her weight. She hadn't been feeling well, and she was craving some bologna and celery.  
  
"You want me to stay with you?" Squid offered.  
  
"No. Go on. Go beat Magnet in a game of pool for me." She smiled, laying back on her pillow and resting her hands lightly on her massive belly.  
  
"Okay." Squid grinned, then followed Magnet toward the rec room.  
  
Lindsey pulled her pillow over her face and screamed as loud as she could. She hated being pregnant, she really did. It kept her from doing things she really wanted to do. And she hated having to depend on Squid and the others to help her with her hole. She couldn't wait until she was capable enough to do it herself.  
  
Armpit and Twitch came and got her for dinner a few hours later.  
  
"Do you need any help?" Armpit asked, offering her his arm.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." Lindsey wrapped her hand around his arm in a deathlike grip. Then she chuckled. "I feel like a truck or something. They should put one of those beeping things on my ass to tell when I'm backing up."  
  
"You're not that big." Twitch told her, jumping up and down excitedly. "When's it gonna be born? Is it a girl or a boy?"  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you, Twitch?" Lindsey sighed placidly, descending the steps from the tent. They started for the mess hall. "I'm not sure when it's going to be born, and I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."  
  
"I hope it's a boy." Twitch said, skipping along next to them. "Then I can be uncle Twitch!"  
  
"You'll be Uncle Twitch if it's a girl, too." Lindsey reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah." Twitch grinned broadly.  
  
They entered the mess-hall and took their seats at the table. Some people watched Lindsey with mild interest; most were too used to her to notice anymore.  
  
After they had eaten, they returned to the tent as a big group, all of them lending hands or arms for Lindsey to lean on.  
  
"Do you think I can convince the warden that I'm pregnant so she'll give me whatever I want to eat?" X-ray joked as they came into the tent.  
  
"Ha ha. I doubt it." Lindsey said dryly. Suddenly her face went very pale. She grabbed onto one of the support poles in the tent and leaned on it heavily. Water trickled down her leg.  
  
"You know there's a bathroom right over by the mess hall." ZigZag said. "If you had to pee that bad, you could have just gone then."  
  
"I didn't pee on myself you idiot!" Lindsey snapped through clenched teeth, holding her belly with her arm. "My water broke!"  
  
"What's that mean?" Twitch whispered loudly to Magnet.  
  
"It means I'm having my baby!" Lindsey yelled, her face contorted with pain. "Somebody go get the warden!"  
  
They didn't have to be told twice. ZigZag, who had the longest legs, took off running for the warden's cabin. He returned a minute later with the warden and a doctor breathlessly behind him.  
  
"Okay, everyone out." The doctor, a tall, thin woman with curly black hair, ordered. "You too, Ms. Walker." Everyone shuffled reluctantly out, led by the warden.  
  
"No!" Lindsey shrieked, grabbing Squid's hand and holding it in a death grip. "You have to stay with me!" She pleaded. Her face was already drenched with sweat and very red.  
  
"We've got to get you out of that ugly jumpsuit." The doctor said. She unzipped the jumpsuit and threw it in the corner. Then she buttoned a short hospital gown up over Lindsey's tank top, and Lindsey removed her underwear. (AN. Don't ask me how a doctor just happened to be there and how she happened to have a hospital gown.)  
  
"Are you sure I should be in here?" Squid asked nervously. "What if I see something I shouldn't?"  
  
"Then you'll have to get over it!" Lindsey snarled, her hair sticking like plaster to her forehead.  
  
"All right, deep breaths Lindsey." The doctor instructed. Lindsey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she moaned in pain. "Just keep breathing. Boy, breathe with her. It helps her get a pattern."  
  
"Okay." Squid mumbled. He took a deep breath and let it out. Deep breath and let it out. Lindsey began to breathe calmly as well, but her grip around Squid's hand was nearly bone-crushing.  
  
"Okay, on the count of three, I want you to push as hard as you can." The doctor instructed. "One...two...three!"  
  
Lindsey let out a horrendous, pain-filled scream as she pushed as hard as she could.  
  
Outside the tent, the rest of the boys looked at each other nervously. They'd never been present at anybody's birth, even if they weren't inside the tent. They didn't know that it would hurt so much. The warden knew, but she'd returned to her cabin and wasn't there to hear.  
  
"Okay, you're gonna have to push again." The doctor said, peering up the blanket draped around Lindsey's knees. "One...two...three!"  
  
This shriek was even louder and longer if that was possible. Her breathing was coming in ragged gasps now, and Squid couldn't feel his hand anymore.  
  
"One more time, okay?" The doctor urged. "One...two...three!"  
  
Lindsey pushed with all her might, clenching her teeth against the tremendous scream rising to her lips. Then she collapsed back onto the cot, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Her hold on Squid's hand loosened, and the feeling began to come back.  
  
There was a slight pause, and then the baby in the doctor's arms began to cry loudly, an endless wail.  
  
Outside, all the boys grinned at each other and smiled with relief.  
  
"I don't think I'm ever gonna be a father," X-ray said, sitting down heavily on the steps. "I can't even take the stress now, and it's not even my baby!" They all laughed.  
  
"Here we go." The doctor cut the umbilical cord and tied the belly-button. Then she placed the baby in Lindsey's arms. "It's a girl."  
  
Lindsey glanced fondly at the little girl in her arms. She had stopped crying, and was falling asleep.  
  
The doctor stepped outside and sent Twitch to the warden's cabin to retrieve the cradle that had been brought there from town. Then she and Squid changed the bloody sheets on Lindsey's cot.  
  
When the boys all came in with the cradle, Lindsey was fast asleep on her cot with the baby resting gently in her arms. The doctor picked up the baby and placed her in the cradle.  
  
"She's so pretty," Magnet breathed in awe as they all crowded around the cradle. He turned to Squid. "What's her name?"  
  
"I don't-" Squid began.  
  
"Elizabeth." Lindsey murmured sleepily. "Elizabeth Marie." And she fell back asleep.  
  
Because she had to take care of Elizabeth, Lindsey got the next two months off from digging holes.  
  
One afternoon, found them in the tent. Everyone was back from digging their holes, and they were all playing with Elizabeth. She had pretty blue eyes and black hair, and a wide smile. She let out a small cry.  
  
"I guess she's hungry." Lindsey muttered. She turned her back to them, pulled her tank top down, and began to breast-feed her daughter.  
  
"How do you feed her?" Armpit asked. None of them could see her. She glanced over her shoulder.  
  
"From my boobs." She replied tartly. Long, sleepless nights were starting to get to her.  
  
"Oh." Armpit blushed deep red.  
  
Pendanski came in then. "Lindsey, I have some news." He said. Lindsey pulled her tank top back up and turned around, rocking Elizabeth gently.  
  
"Yeah?" She asked as Elizabeth grabbed a piece of her hair in her tiny fist and went to sleep, yawning broadly.  
  
"Ms. Timms is here to get Elizabeth." Pendanski explained.  
  
"Already?" Lindsey's face went pale. "But she's only two months old! She needs me!"  
  
"She needs a proper home." Ms. Timms said, coming in behind Pendanski. "You're in luck though, Lindsey. The family who's taking care of Gabriella wants to take Elizabeth as well."  
  
"But she's so little..." Lindsey said softly, gently touching Elizabeth's cheek.  
  
"And she needs a real family." Ms. Timms said firmly. "If you have anything you want her to take with her, then pack it up. Give her to me."  
  
"I can't," Lindsey sobbed, cradling Elizabeth closer. Squid stepped up and stood by her protectively. The other boys quickly surrounded her.  
  
"Oh get out of the way!" Ms. Timms impatiently brushed through them and scooped Elizabeth out of Lindsey's arms. "I take it there's nothing else you want to send. Goodbye then." And she turned and left.  
  
"My baby..." Lindsey stared after her in shock. Then her eyes narrowed. "That woman has taken both my children from me. I will get her back for this."  
  
"Don't do anything too rash, Sugar." ZigZag warned. "Otherwise you'll never get your daughters back."  
  
Lindsey sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands. "I suppose you're right." She agreed sadly. Then she looked up. "Only twelve more months..."  
  
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Okay, so what did you think? If you think things are going too fast in the story, don't worry. Lindsey's still got a year left at CGL!! YAY!! And isn't it sooo sad that ms. Timms keeps stealing her children? Anyway, review, kk?? I'm at home sick, so I've got nothing to do but eat, drink, and sleep!! BORING! Review, savvy? Luvs!! 


	5. readjustment

Hey hey!!! I only had one exam today so I got to come home at like 9:30. YAY!! Well, I don't know exactly how you can take a gym exam, so that's why I only had one! Anyway, so here I am at my dad's house until 6 when I'm actually sposed to be at my mummy's house. So you get a couple more updates!! Works 4 all of us, don't it?  
  
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Lindsey woke up with the bugle the following morning, something she hadn't done in nearly two months. She was reluctant to get up, but she did anyway because she wanted to prove that she could do it.  
  
She pulled on her orange jumpsuit and shoes, and pulled her thick hair into a ponytail underneath a white bandana.  
  
"You want a piggy back ride?" ZigZag offered her as they stood in line to get their shovels.  
  
"Nah, I think I'll walk." Lindsey said.  
  
They walked to their digging place for the day, eating tortillas and honey that tasted like crap. They began to dig laboriously as the sun rose higher and higher.  
  
Pendanski brought them lunch around noon. They sat by their holes and ate the dry sandwiches and cookies.  
  
"Do you want my cookie, Sugar?" Armpit offered.  
  
"You can have half my sandwich if you want it." Twitch held out half of his sandwich.  
  
"No thanks." Lindsey shook her head, setting aside her half-eaten sandwich. "I'm not very hungry."  
  
"Are you sure?" Armpit asked in a concerned voice.  
  
"Yeah, I've only got one person to feed now." She joked light-heartedly, though her heart was really in her stomach.  
  
The day wore on and everyone got close to finishing their holes.  
  
"Do you want me to help you finish your hole?" X-ray offered, coming over to her hole.  
  
Lindsey jabbed her shovel angrily into the ground and shaded her eyes, glaring up at him against the sun. "I am not invalid, for God's sake!" She declared furiously. "I can do things for myself, you know!" Silence followed this statement.  
  
"We were only trying to be nice." Magnet said finally.  
  
"Well don't!" Lindsey snapped, grabbing her shovel again. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm any less capable of doing things than you guys are!"  
  
"We didn't mean it like that..." ZigZag murmured, but Lindsey had stopped listening by then.  
  
One by one, they all left and headed back to camp. Squid didn't offer to help, but he sat and waited patiently for Lindsey to finish with her hole. It didn't take her long, because she had a lot of pent-up energy.  
  
"Thanks for waiting." She said softly as they walked side by side back to camp.  
  
"No problem." Squid told her warmly. "You know I'll always wait for you."  
  
"Thanks Squid." She sighed heavily. "I don't know how I could have made it through all this without you." Squid didn't know exactly how to respond to this statement, so he merely smiled at her again.  
  
"Do you want to take a shower?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She agreed. "I haven't been this dirty in nearly two months."  
  
"I'll keep watch." Squid promised her.  
  
"Thanks Squid." She smiled at him and gave his hand a slight squeeze. "You're a doll." Then she ducked into the tent to get her towel and clean clothes.  
  
The shower felt good as she stood under the spray. She didn't waste any time, because she knew she needed to use every precious minute she had. She washed and conditioned her hair, then washed her body. She had just finished rinsing when the water shut off.  
  
She dried off with her towel, then got dressed. She pulled a hot pink and black tank top on over her lacy black bra, leaving the top half of her orange jumpsuit hanging down by her waist. She wrapped her towel around her thick hair, then exited the shower stall.  
  
"Done?" Squid asked her. He'd been leaning against the wall, but he quickly straightened up when she came out.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded, patting her towel into place.  
  
"What do you plan on doing for the rest of the afternoon?" He asked her as they walked back toward the tent.  
  
"I dunno." She shrugged. "I'll probably read a book, or listen to music or something." She said.  
  
"Why don't you come with me to the wreck-room?" Squid suggested.  
  
"You guys invite me every day, and I say no every time." Lindsey said, sighing heavily. "Won't you guys ever stop asking?"  
  
"It might be good for you." Squid said, a bit nervously. "You know, get your mind of things. If you sit in the tent brooding, things are only going to get worse."  
  
"I guess you're right." Lindsey admitted. Then she smiled wryly at him. "Maybe I should give it a try."  
  
"There's a TV, and a pool table." Squid said. "And a radio."  
  
"Okay." Lindsey said determinedly. "Let me dry my hair really quickly." They went into the tent. She puppy-dog dried her hair, then combed through it so that it hung straight, if damp.  
  
"Ready?" Squid asked, rising from where he'd been patiently waiting on the end of his cot.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Lindsey agreed. She followed him out of the tent and into the rec-room by the mess hall.  
  
Everyone in there turned to stare at her. Sure they'd seen her in the mess hall (in the case of the d-tent boys, they'd seen her a lot more) but nobody had ever seen the only girl at Camp Greenlake in the rec-room.  
  
"Why are they staring at me?" Lindsey asked Squid in a low voice, looking around nervously.  
  
"Cause you're beautiful." Squid replied instantly. Lindsey's cheeks flushed a little, but she wasn't embarrassed.  
  
"Lindsey!" X-ray cheerfully waved her over to the pool table, where he was playing a game of pool with Armpit. ZigZag and Magnet were watching the broken TV, and Twitch was sitting on the sofa with some boys from other tents.  
  
"What are you doin in here?" Armpit demanded, leaning on his pool stick.  
  
"Squid convinced me to finally come in here and see what it's like." Lindsey said, looking around disdainfully. "Not a lot, is it? Everything's broken. Why would anybody break our only TV?"  
  
"Cause the boys here are idiots." ZigZag called from the TV, grinning broadly. "Including myself!"  
  
Lindsey laughed affectionately. Even though she'd promised herself that she wouldn't get to like any of them, she'd grown incredibly fond of her tent- mates during the past eight months.  
  
"You wanna play pool?" X-ray offered. "Me and Pit against you and Squid?"  
  
"Sure." Lindsey agreed cheerfully. "That is, if you want to Squid."  
  
"Course I do." Squid grinned, picking up an extra pool stick. It was scratched in some places, but it was mostly okay. He handed it to Lindsey, then picked up another one for himself. "Pool is my favorite game."  
  
"Mine is spoons." Lindsey replied absently, watching as Armpit replaced all the balls to be broken.  
  
"Spoons? What's that?" Squid asked.  
  
"It's a card game." Lindsey explained in shock. "You've never heard of it?"  
  
"I haven't either." X-ray said. "Can I break?"  
  
"Sure." Lindsey nodded. Then she assumed a lofty expression. "I'll just have to teach you guys after dinner then."  
  
"Do you want to go first?" Squid offered.  
  
"Nah, you're probably tons better than I am." Lindsey replied submissively. "You go ahead."  
  
Squid leaned down, aimed, and knocked a solid into the corner pocket. "You guys are stripes." He informed X-ray and Armpit. He aimed again, but this one missed.  
  
Their game lasted until the bell rang to signal dinner. They were basically tied. Squid was by far the best player, but Lindsey was the worst. Together, they about equaled Armpit and X-ray.  
  
"Well that was a good game." X-ray said cheerfully as they headed for the mess hall in a big group.  
  
"You'll have to teach me," Lindsey said ruefully, making a face. "I'm really, really bad."  
  
"Well you've never played before, have you?" Armpit said quickly. Lindsey shook her head. "That's why."  
  
"Well, with some good instruction, I'll be just as good as any of you!" Lindsey challenged impishly.  
  
"We'll see about that!" X-ray laughed.  
  
"You know, I'm even starting to get used to this stuff." Lindsey said cheerfully as they got their food.  
  
"You should be." Twitch said from behind them in line. "You've been eating it for months."  
  
"Not really." Lindsey said lightly. "You forget, I've been pregnant, and pregnant women have different tastes that must be fulfilled."  
  
"I still don't think that was fair." ZigZag pouted playfully. "I want to be pregnant too."  
  
Lindsey laughed archly. "No, you don't." He assured him. "It's worse than hell."  
  
"That bad?" Magnet asked in surprise.  
  
"Ten times worse."  
  
They sat down at the table and began to eat. Once they were done, they walked as a group back to the tent.  
  
"Okay then," Lindsey said, going straight to her backpack and bending over. Magnet nearly fell off his cot trying to look at her butt.  
  
"What are you doing?" X-ray asked, keeping his eyes firmly away from her extended behind. He didn't want to offend her in any way. Girls seemed so easily offended, and Lindsey in particular could get nasty when she got offended.  
  
"Getting cards." Lindsey said, straightening back up and grinning. She hadn't noticed them checking her out at all. "I'm going to teach you guys how to play spoons, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Armpit said suddenly. "Well, let's get this thing started then!"  
  
"Okay, Ziggy, go and get six rocks for me." Lindsey said, assuming a businesslike manner. She kneeled beside one of the cots.  
  
"Rocks?" ZigZag repeated.  
  
"Yes, small ones." Lindsey nodded. "Everyone, sit down around the cot. It's going to be our playing table." They all obediently sat down while Lindsey shuffled the cards between her long fingers, painted with shimmery black nail polish.  
  
"Here." ZigZag returned and dropped six small, pretty round stones on the mattress. Lindsey immediately arranged them in a straight line, evenly spaced apart.  
  
"Okay, here's how you play:" She said, passing out four cards to each person. "You've got four cards. You want to get four in a row (like ace, two, three, four) or four of a kind (like four aces or four kings). Since I'm dealer, I'll start. I pick up a card, look at it, and then decide if I want to keep it or not. If I want to keep it, I trade it with one of the ones I've got in my hand and I pass my discarded card to the right. If I don't want it, I pass the unused card to my right. It always goes to your right. Then I'll pick up the next card. And you keep on passing the cards. The object is speed, so you want to pass as quickly as you can. When you've got four of a kind or four in a row, you pick up a rock. It's technically supposed to be a spoon, hence the name of a game. You want to be as indiscreet about it as possible. You don't want anybody to notice that you've got four of a kind. As soon as somebody realizes that somebody else has taken a rock, then you grab a rock. The person left without a rock is out, and you begin a new round."  
  
"Sounds kinda brutal." Twitch joked.  
  
"It is." Lindsey nodded. "Okay, let's go." (AN. Spoons is my all-time ultimate favorite card game!! I love it!! *grins*)  
  
Their game lasted until about ten o'clock. Lindsey and ZigZag ended up winning. (AN. You can go to only one winner, but it's not much fun so people usually have two winners.)  
  
"We've got to play that again!" Armpit declared. "So I can kick Ziggy's butt!"  
  
"My butt is safe from you." ZigZag replied arrogantly, grinning. "I'm pretty good at this game."  
  
Lindsey yawned loudly. She suddenly looked very sleepy. "I'm tired." She announced. "I guess I'll go to bed now."  
  
"We'll put up your cards for you." X-ray offered. "So you don't have to worry about them."  
  
"Thanks." Lindsey mumbled sleepily. She trudged across the tent to her cot. She took down her hair, which was in a ponytail. Then she slipped off her orange jumpsuit. She was wearing black cheerleading shorts underneath. She shoved her jumpsuit underneath her cot and crawled into bed. She shut her eyes and her breathing immediately became regular.  
  
"She's really pretty," X-ray murmured to Squid. They were still bent around X-ray's cot (the one they had been using for a table) putting up Lindsey's cards. The others were all getting ready for bed.  
  
"Yeah," Squid glanced at his friend sharply.  
  
X-ray chuckled lightly. "Don't worry man, I'm not gonna steal your girl or nothing." He promised.  
  
"She's not my girl." Squid replied, looking back at the cards he was putting into the box.  
  
"But you want her to be." X-ray pointed out. "And you guys are best friends, so it sorta makes her your girl."  
  
"Not really. We're just really good friends." Squid shook his head.  
  
"Whatever man." X-ray said, climbing to his feet. "I hope you do get together," He added. Squid stood up too, looking confused. "You'll take care of her better than anybody else could."  
  
"Yeah man, the base of all good relationships is a solid friendship." ZigZag added from the next cot. "And you've got a good one."  
  
"Still awake." Lindsey called loudly from her cot. Her back was turned to them, so they couldn't see her face. She sounded irritated.  
  
The boys all fell silent, smiling sheepishly at one another. They finished getting ready in silence, climbed into their cots, and turned off the light.  
  
Lindsey smiled to herself and buried her face in her pillow, where she promptly went to sleep.  
  
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Hee hee!! Ya like? I know ur all just dying for something to happen between Squid and Lindz, but you'll have to wait for quite a while. They're gonna be just friends for a long, long time. But anyway, keep reading and reviewing, because it makes me happy!! Read my other stories too!! I've got another Holes ficcy, called Full Moon, that you'll prolly like if u like this one. Then I've got some on random other things that you can check out. Read and review pleaz!! Kisses and hugs! 


	6. surprise

Wow I know it's been like forever since I've updated this but it's all because of my stupid laptop that hates me as of ten minutes ago. I've finally gotten it working again, so it's all good now and I should be updating a lot more often now!! YAY!! Kay, I don't own any of that stuff that isn't mine, but you already know that, righty!! So onward with the story!!  
  
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One morning, about two months later, found them all digging their holes. Lindsey was starting to get really good, so she was about the same as everybody else now.   
  
"I want to go to the movies." She declared as they watched the truck coming near with lunch for the day. "I haven't eaten any movie popcorn in a long, long time."  
  
"I thought girls hated movie popcorn." X-ray commented, grinning broadly. "I thought they figured it made them get fat."  
  
"Are you calling me fat?" Lindsey's tone was surprisingly dangerous.   
  
"Uh, no." He shook his head quickly.   
  
"Wise choice."   
  
"All right! Line em' up for lunch!" Pendanski called, climbing out of his truck and setting out all the food for lunch.   
  
They all scrambled for places in line. Before Lindsey had come, they always had an order to things. Now it was always whoever could get there first, and usually it was Twitch, Lindsey, Squid, ZigZag, and so forth because that's how fast they were.  
  
"Did you guys ever go to school dances before you came here to Camp Greenlake?" Lindsey asked thoughtfully, perching on the edge of her holes and taking a bite out of her sandwich.   
  
"I went to a couple." X-ray shrugged. "Most of the girls I went with were total ho's though." Then he looked stricken.   
  
Lindsey laughed. "Don't worry about it." She told him cutely. "I'm over that now, so you can talk about it if you want."  
  
"I'm sorry," X-ray mumbled, his cheeks turning red.   
  
"What about you?" ZigZag asked, changing the subject off of hookers. "Did you ever go to any dances?"  
  
"Tons." Lindsey sighed wistfully, setting her sandwich aside.   
  
"What prompted the question?" Armpit wanted to know.   
  
"I was just thinking about how much I miss going to dances." She said, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Getting all dressed up and having your hair and makeup done. Then dancing with all these guys that smell really nice." She sighed again. "I guess it'll be quite a while before I go to one of those." She laughed regretfully. "Oh well."   
  
And she resumed her digging.   
  
But the boys had something in mind.   
  
The following night after dinner, everyone ditched Squid and Lindsey and left for the rec-room. Lindsey flopped down on her cot.   
  
"Ugh, I'm exhausted." She declared.   
  
"Can I look at your clothes?" Squid asked, unzipping her bag without waiting for her to answer.   
  
"Yeah. You don't like lacy bras and thongs though it's your own fault." She murmured, rolling over onto her back and throwing her arms above her head.   
  
"This is nice." He said, holding up a lacy black skirt and a bright red tube top. "Try it on for me, okay?"  
  
"Why do you want to see me in a stupid skirt and tube top?" She demanded irritably.   
  
"Please?" He made a puppy-dog face. "I wanna see your nice pretty legs." He held out the outfit imploringly.   
  
"You know you've really opened up since I've been here." She muttered, snatching the skirt and top away from him.   
  
"You open people up a lot." He shrugged, grinning. She turned her back on him and changed out of her shorts and tank-top into the skirt, then she turned around.   
  
"Well?" She asked.   
  
"Turn around." He whirled his finger around.   
  
Lindsey took one bare-footed step and twirled around. Her black skirt was flowing and reached her knees. There was a lacy black layer over it with intricate, detailed designs in it. The shirt was tight-fitting. It showed just enough of her stomach to show off her silver belly-button ring. It showed a teeny bit of cleavage, but it wasn't too terrible revealing.   
  
"Nah, it's missing something." Squid shook his head. "What shoes do you have?"  
  
"I have my high tops, my flip-flops, and then some sandals." She shrugged.   
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"In my bag." She sank back down onto her cot, pulling her top up higher.   
  
Squid opened the last pocket of her bag and looked at her shoes. He handed her the sandals. "Put these on."  
  
"Why?" She gave him a funny look. "They hurt my feet after I wear them for awhile."  
  
"You're the one that brought them." Squid shrugged, pressing the shoes on her. "And besides, the outfit is incomplete."  
  
"And since when have you been such a fashion expert?" She demanded crossly, putting the shoes on anyway. They were very high black stilettos with straps that wound up her calves. They had silver studs on the toe strap. "Happy?"  
  
"Turn around." He said. She took a deep breath, but did as she was told. "Hmmm," He shook his head. "No offense, Sugar, but we've gotta do something with your hair."  
  
"My hair?" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you saying there's something wrong with my hair?"  
  
"No, it's very pretty." He said quickly, very quickly. "But it just doesn't go with your outfit." She sighed heavily.   
  
"Why does it matter?" She demanded crossly, picking up her brush and combing through her hair anyway. "I'm only trying it on for you." She took a red clasp and put her hair up in a fancy bun with lots of curly wisps hanging down. "Happy?"  
  
"Earrings and necklace." He held out her jewelry box to her. She glared at him, then put on long silver earrings and a thin silver necklace.   
  
"There? Are you happy?" She demanded crossly, reaching up to unclasp her necklace again.   
  
"Hey you guys!" Magnet raced into the tent, huffing and puffing for breath. "Come quick and see what we found in the mess hall!"  
  
"I'm not a guy," Lindsey protested.   
  
"Come on!" Squid exclaimed, grabbing her hand. He dragged her out of the tent and down the steps toward the mess hall, which was unusually dark.   
  
"But I'm wearing heels!" She complained, throwing her arms out and walking slowly in her skirt and heels. "God Squid, why'd you have to get me out dressed like this?"  
  
"For this." He and Magnet flung open the mess hall doors. Inside the lights were dim, and all the tables had been pushed out of the way. A cd player was playing a slow song that was relatively loud.   
  
"Oh my god." Lindsey clapped her hand over her mouth, her lipstick probably smearing against the palm of her hand.   
  
"Can I have this dance?" X-ray asked her politely. Wordlessly she nodded.   
  
She danced with all of them over the next hour, to fast and slow songs alike. They were all wearing the same kind of cologne, her favorite, just for her.   
  
Finally they all left, leaving Squid and Lindsey the last two people in the mess-hall. They were dancing to Traveling Soldier by the Dixie Chicks.   
  
"I love this song," Lindsey sighed, wrapping her arms comfortably around his neck and letting her head rest on his tall shoulder. "It's so sad though. It makes me want to cry every time I hear it."  
  
"Then why do you love it so much?" He asked her softly, his voice hardly more than a whisper.   
  
"Sometimes it feels good to cry." She replied, snuggling even closer to him.   
  
"Sometimes it feels good to smile." He said. He took her chin and tilted her head upward. Then he kissed her, gently and then a lot harder.   
  
The kiss lasted for quite a while. Though neither Squid nor Lindsey knew it, the other boys were there while they kissed, snickering to one another.   
  
"Wow." Lindsey breathed once they'd broken apart.   
  
"I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Squid admitted, his cheeks flaming. Then he took her hand in his and his face grew serious. "We're friends, though, till the end."  
  
"Till the end." Lindsey assured him. She held out her hand, and Squid took it. They walked back to the tent together.   
  
The boys ran ahead to make it look like they'd been in the tent for a while.   
  
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Sorry it's so short, but it's 8:30 and I've been really sick the past 24 hours so you'll have to forgive me. Sorry that it's been sooooo long since I updated!! KK review so I can post more!!! 


	7. the generosity of others

Hey. *sheepish smile* sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. I guess I had a bad case of writer's block or something. This is probably only going to be a transition chapter so I'm sorry if it has no real plot to it. LOL. Okay, well review and be happy!!   
  
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Lindsey woke up about a month later with a feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach. She sat up on her cot and looked around warily, then she sniffed.   
  
"Sugar?" Squid looked at her sleepily from his cot. The bugle had not yet gone off, and everybody else was still asleep. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Today is Gabby's birthday." She said in a flat voice, staring straight ahead and not blinking, trying not to cry.   
  
"Oh my god, Lindsey, I'm so sorry." He scrambled over to her cot and hugged her tightly. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, but she wouldn't let herself cry.   
  
"Thank you, Squid," she told him politely, sitting up after a minute. "But I think this is something I have to take on by myself."  
  
"All right." He gently touched her face, then went back to his own cot.  
  
Lindsey briefly wished that he would kiss her. He hadn't kissed her since the night that the boys had given her the dance. Then she shook those thoughts out of her head. It was her daughter's third birthday, and she wasn't going to be able to see her.   
  
Then she got an idea.   
  
She dug her hole faster than anybody that day, then she sprinted back to the camp. None of the boys had ever seen her with so much energy.   
  
She dumped her shovel by the Library and ran straight to the Warden's cabin. She knocked on the door until the warden opened it.   
  
"What do you want, Sugar?" She demanded. Lindsey wondered briefly how the warden knew her nickname, but she quickly brushed it aside.   
  
"I want to ask your permission to make a phone call." Lindsey asked pleadingly. "It's my daughter's birthday, and I really want to call her."  
  
The warden's usually harsh expression softened slightly. She gently nodded her head. "You may call, but make it quick. And don't tell anyone else. I don't want any of these boys to get the idea that they can come and use my telephone whenever they want."  
  
"Oh thank you, ma'am, thank you!" Lindsey nearly started to cry she was so happy. She raced to the phone, pulling out the business card Ms. Timms had given her. She dialed the number.  
  
"Hello?" Ms. Timms answered.   
  
"Ms. Timms? It's Lindsey Miller from Camp Greenlake." Lindsey explained, her heart beating up into her throat so that she was afraid she would choke on it.  
  
"Lindsey?" Ms. Timms sounded incredibly surprised. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I was wondering if I could have the number of the family that Gabriella and Elizabeth are staying at." Lindsey asked hopefully.  
  
"Your sentence is not over." Ms. Timms informed her. "You still have to serve nine months at Camp Greenlake."  
  
"I know," Lindsey said quickly. "But it's Gabriella's birthday today. She's three. I would really, really appreciate it if you let me call her and say hello."  
  
"I'll have to make sure it's okay with her foster family first." Ms. Timms said uncertainly. "I'll call you back just as soon as I get in touch with them."  
  
"Okay." Lindsey agreed, her heart still fluttering up in her throat. She hung up the phone carefully, then very slowly headed for the door.   
  
The phone rang just as she was leaving, and she turned and raced back to it, skidding on the rug. She snatched it up and pressed it to her thrice-pierced ear. "Hello?" She nearly shrieked.  
  
"Lindsey?" It was Ms. Timms.   
  
"Did you talk to them? What did they say?" Lindsey urged, feeling like she was hyperventilating. "What did they say!"  
  
"They said it's okay for you to call Gabriella." Ms. Timms sounded like she thought it was a bad idea. "Here's the number. Do you have something to write it down on?"  
  
"Yeah." Lindsey grabbed a pen off the warden's desk and turned Ms. Timms's business card over. "I'm ready for it."  
  
"It's 555-9876." Ms. Timms said slowly. "555-9876. Do you have it?" (AN. Does that number sound familiar to anybody? Lol)  
  
"Yeah, I have it." Lindsey sighed in relief. It felt so good to have this number in her possession now. "Thank you so much, Ms. Timms. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."  
  
"Your welcome." Ms. Timms replied reluctantly. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye." Lindsey hung up, then dialed the number Ms. Timms had given her. It rang for what seemed like forever before somebody finally picked up.   
  
"Hello?" The voice said. It was a woman, probably about middle-aged from the sound of her voice. She sounded kind.   
  
"Hello? This is Lindsey Miller, Gabriella and Elizabeth's mother." Lindsey said, trying to keep her voice calm.  
  
"Oh yes, Ms. Timms said you wanted to talk to Gabby." The woman said, and she sounded distant. "I'm Mrs. Clark. Hold on just a second. I'll get Gabby."  
  
A minute later, there was a rustling on the other end and Gabby's voice came on. "Hello?" Her talking was getting better.   
  
"Hey baby, it's mommy." Lindsey said, feeling tears stand out in her eyes. She clutched the receiver so tightly her knuckles turned white.   
  
"Mommy!" Gabby cheered ecstatically. "I miss you so much!"  
  
"I miss you too, baby." Lindsey said, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How are you doing? Are you have a good time?"  
  
"I'm fwine." Gabby replied. "I'm having fun here. I like my baby sister, mommy. She's really nice, cept when she throws up."  
  
"Well that's good." Lindsey smiled again. "Happy birthday, my big girl!"  
  
"I'm tree!" Gabby exclaimed proudly.  
  
"I know, baby." Lindsey said gently. "And I bet you're the prettiest three-year-old that ever lived!" And she meant it too.  
  
"I am!" Gabby replied cheerfully. Then her voice fell. "I gotta go, mommy. Mrs. Clark says it's snack time, and she wants to talk to you."  
  
"Okay. Bye baby. I love you." Lindsey didn't want to hang up. She wanted to stay and talk with her daughter forever.   
  
"I love you too mommy! Bye!" Gabby said, and then there was more rustling as Gabby handed the phone back to Mrs. Clark.   
  
"Lindsey?" Mrs. Clark said.   
  
"Yes ma'am?" Lindsey decided it would help her to be respectful to the woman who was taking care of her children.   
  
"Gabby really does miss you." She said gently. "She cries at night, even still, because she misses you." Lindsey got choked up through her tears. "Perhaps I could bring her and Lizzy by to visit you sometime?"  
  
"That would be wonderful," Lindsey sobbed.   
  
"We'll come by soon then." Mrs. Clark promised. "Thank you for calling Gabby. It really made her day, you know."  
  
"It made mine too." Lindsey offered.   
  
"Well, goodbye." Mrs. Clark said politely.  
  
"Bye." Lindsey hung up the phone and sank onto the floor, sobbing.  
  
When she finally regained her composure enough, she went back to her cabin and went to sleep, skipping dinner entirely.  
  
It was the day after next when Pendanski drove up in his truck with a woman and two children with him. Lindsey looked up, hardly daring to hope. Pendanski climbed down from the truck and helped his guests down.   
  
"Mommy!" Gabby shrieked, racing across the hole-filled ground.  
  
"Gabby!" Lindsey scooped her daughter up into her arms and spun her around, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. Gabby giggled profusely.  
  
"I missed you mommy!" Gabby informed Lindsey matter-of-factly.  
  
"I've missed you too, baby." Lindsey told her gently.   
  
"Ooh, Uncle Squid!" Gabby wriggled down from Lindsey's arms and ran to throw her arms around Squid. He picked her up.   
  
"How's my favorite little girl?" He asked her, tickling her. She shrieked with laughter, squirming like a worm in his hold.   
  
"How's my other baby?" Lindsey asked Mrs. Clark gently. Mrs. Clark handed the baby she was holding to Lindsey.  
  
Lindsey took Lizzy in her arms and looked lovingly down at the pretty face. Lizzy was four months old now, and she had brilliant, curious eyes. "She's so beautiful." Lindsey breathed. It seemed like it had been a lot longer than two months since she had last seen her.   
  
"Yes, she is." Mrs. Clark agreed gently. "She's the most sweet-tempered child I've ever seen. You must have treated her well while she was here."  
  
"I tried." Lindsey admitted. She pressed her cheek again Lizzy's. The baby cooed pleasantly, and they all smiled.   
  
Mrs. Clark took Gabby and Lizzy and left after a little while, and the parting was even harder than before. But Lindsey was glad that Mrs. Clark had brought them.   
  
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Okay, well there ya go. I finally updated this story. I went and checked online the other day, and this story was # 159 or something. That means it's been a LONG time since I've updated. Okay, well just review and give me some incentive to post again!! 


	8. goodbyes & hellos

Yeah, I know it's been like months and months since I last posted. I kind of got cough cough banned from posting for a little while. I wrote a story about real people and that's apparently not allowed. So I was banned. Yeah. But anyway, this chappy is for my friend Erin. LOL. Not my friend Erin in the other holes story. My friend Erin that hasn't been in any of my stories so far………yeah

X-ray's last day of Camp Greenlake was about a month later. He packed up all his belongings and a bus arrived to take him back to his home.  
  
"I'll write to you about what goes on." Lindsey promised, hugging him tightly and pecking him on the cheek fondly.  
  
"And I'll write you back." X-ray promised, holding her tightly. "And as soon as you all get out, we'll have a reunion and get together."  
  
"That sounds nice." Lindsey smiled. X-ray released her and he had to turn to say goodbye to the rest of his friends. It was even harder to say goodbye to them. Lindsey wasn't afraid to show emotion, and he could do the same with her. But you couldn't hug guys and promise to write them the way he'd promised Lindsey. It just made you seem gay.  
  
"I'll see you guys around." He finally said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. Even though he hadn't dug anything that day, he was still sweaty and his glasses liked to slide down the bridge of that sweaty nose.   
  
"Yeah. We'll keep in touch." ZigZag said, and that was basically the equivalent of 'you're too good a friend to lose so we'll write you'.   
  
"See ya." X-ray forced a smile and climbed onto the bus with his bag. There were no handcuffs this time, but there might as well have been. He had no clue that leaving all his friends would be so hard. He'd been waiting to get out of Camp Greenlake for the entire eighteen months he'd been there, and now he didn't want to.  
  
The bus pulled away, leaving the remaining six of them standing alone in the dust, feeling lonely and slightly deserted. Their leader was gone………  
  
"I guess we ought to do something." Squid suggested finally, his face grim and downcast. "It's not going to help anything if we just stand here and think about it constantly."  
  
"You're right." Lindsey agreed, holding his hand. Their fingers were entwined, but nobody said anything. They all knew better.  
  
"Let's go play a pool game of tribute to X-ray." Armpit suggested. They all murmured their assent and hurried into the rec-room. There were some boys from another tent already playing a game, but ZigZag and Armpit managed to run them off fairly quickly.   
  
Lindsey had gotten fairly good by now. She was almost as good as any of the boys, but she wasn't quite there yet.   
  
The tent seemed empty as they tried to sleep that night. No matter how tired they were, it took them a long time to fall asleep.  
  
None of them wanted to get up and dig a hole in the morning, but, unfortunately, it wasn't their choice if they got up or not.  
  
"Are we going to get a new camper?" Lindsey asked as they wound down their holes under the hot sun that afternoon.  
  
"Yeah, which really sucks." Magnet complained. "It's so hard to get used to new campers." Lindsey shot him a death-glare. "Except for you, of course, Sugar." He added in quickly.  
  
She flashed him an impish grin (AN. NO she did NOT flash him!!). "Well of course." She said cheerfully, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.  
  
A bus was waiting when ZigZag, Armpit, Squid, and Lindsey walked back toward the Library after they had finished digging.  
  
"I guess there's our new camper." Armpit said, nodding at the bus and tossing his shovel on top of the huge pile with a clang.   
  
"I wonder if he's cute………" Lindsey murmured thoughtfully.   
  
Squid looked at her sharply and she laughed. "I'm only joking, Squid. Lighten up a little!" And she kissed him lightly on the cheek. He blushed. She'd never kissed him randomly like that before, and he kind of liked it.   
  
Pendanski came out of Mr. Sir's office just then, leading the new camper. They all sucked in their breath when they saw the camper.  
  
It was a girl. She was maybe a little bit younger than Lindsey, and shorter too. She had brown hair a little past her shoulders that was highlighted blonde, and her eyes were bright green. She was wearing a short black pleated skirt with patches and lace bondage straps on it, a rainbow-colored tank top, and a pair of white high tops. She was wearing several different colored bracelets and matching earrings. She was wearing fake-eyelashes and a lipstick the brightest shade of pink any of them had ever seen.   
  
"Ahh, here's some of the members of your tent." Pendanski said, coming over to where they stood. "This is Ricky, Theodore, Alan, and Lindsey."  
  
"The name's Armpit." Armpit said immediately, taking charge. "This is Squid, Sugar, and ZigZag." He indicated each of them.  
  
"They all have their little nicknames." Pendanski said under his breath to the girl. "But I prefer to call them by their real names. The names they'll have to use when they go back to civilization. Kids, this is Erin."  
  
"Peace." Erin grinned broadly, making a peace sign with her fingers. She shifted the weight of her rainbow-colored backpack.   
  
"Lindsey is the only other girl here at Greenlake, besides the Warden." Pendanski informed Erin. "Lindsey, why don't you show Erin around?"  
  
"Okay." Lindsey shrugged. Why not? It would be nice to have some real girl conversation again. She loved the boys, of course, but sometimes girls just needed to be with girls.   
  
"What are you here for?" Erin asked as they split off from the boys and began to make the tour of the small area.   
  
Lindsey didn't have any problems talking about it anymore. "Two of my friends and I were in this drug thing. It's a long story with a lot of bad turns. I have two kids because of it."  
  
"Are they here?" Erin sounded intrigued.  
  
"No. They're in a foster home until I get out of here." Lindsey said softly. She didn't want to dwell on either Gabby or Lizzy because she knew she would start to cry once again. "So what did you do to be here, Erin?"  
  
"Shoplifted." Erin rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "They make such a big deal about such little things, ya know?"  
  
Lindsey laughed. "Yeah, I know how that goes. There's the mess hall. The boys will stare at you non-stop for the first month you're here, but then they gradually begin to lose interest and get used to seeing you every day."  
  
"I don't mind being stared at." Erin announced defiantly, standing up straighter and glancing around to see if anybody was looking now. They were.   
  
"That's the rec-room." Lindsey continued with her tour. "There's a broken TV, a radio that doesn't pick up any stations, some bench-pressing equipment, and a pool table. The chairs and couches are the most used things in there." She laughed.  
  
"Why don't they buy new things if nothing in there works?" Erin asked, skirting around a group of boys watching them.  
  
"Who knows?" Lindsey shrugged. "And those are the showers." She pointed to the open-air showers, where boys were already lined up.   
  
"You're kidding me, right?" Erin demanded, stopping and looking at the showers in shock. "We have to take showers in that?"  
  
"Yep." Lindsey nodded.  
  
"But that's completely indecent!" Erin spluttered angrily.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Lindsey agreed. "But don't worry about it. The boys in our tent keep watch while I shower and don't let anybody come close. I'm sure they'll do the same for you."  
  
"Are you going out with any of them?" Erin asked. "Cause if you are, I don't want to start flirting with your man."  
  
"Yeah, I'm kind of going out with one of them." Lindsey blushed and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's Squid, the tall one with the dark hair that you just met."  
  
"Ooh, he's a cutie!" Erin squealed excitedly.  
  
"Yes, he is." Lindsey agreed, grinning as well. She found Erin's excitement to be contagious, and she was catching it.  
  
"So I can have any of the others?" Erin asked hopefully.  
  
Lindsey nodded. "Yep. Go for it. ZigZag is probably the next hottest. But Caveman is probably the sweetest. The others are nice too, of course."   
  
"I can't wait to meet them all." Erin said, and then she made a face. "Do I have to wear an orange jumpsuit like yours?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Nobody goes anywhere without the orange jumpsuit." Lindsey made a face too. "You'd think they could have picked a more flattering color. Orange goes well with nothing and nobody, you know?"  
  
"Totally." Erin agreed seriously.   
  
"This is our tent." Lindsey led her knew friend up the wooden steps and into the tent. The boys were all there, and had all showered. They all stopped and looked up when Lindsey came in with the new girl.   
  
"Who's the chick?" Magnet called.  
  
"Shut up," Lindsey chided him reproachfully. "You guys, this is our new tent-mate. Her name is Erin. Say hi to her."  
  
"Hi." They all chorused obediently.  
  
"Peace." Erin said, making another peace sign with her fingers. She turned to Lindsey. "Where do I sleep?"  
  
"Right here." Lindsey tapped the empty cot where X-ray had previously slept. "And you can put your things in that empty crate over there."  
  
"In a crate?" Erin made a face. "I don't think so. I think I'll just leave everything in my backpack and leave my backpack right by my bed."  
  
"Suit yourself." Lindsey shrugged. "You can stay in here and get settled in. I'm going to go take a shower."  
  
"I'll come with you." Squid offered.   
  
"Be back in a minute." Lindsey said to Erin, and she and Squid left the tent.Yay!! Something exciting finally happened!! That makes me happy………kind of. It should make Erin happy. Erin's not really quite as wild as I made her out to be in the story, but that's okay. Right?? Right. Anyway, I hope you like it Erin!!! Review for me and I'll post another chapter. It's summer vacay now so I should have time to update a lot more. Luvs hugs and kisses!! 


	9. Erin trouble

Hello there. Nice to see you again. Been a long time, hasn't it? (cough cough) Oh my god, I HATE beyonce's Naughty Girl. That's what's on the radio right now. I think it's stupid. Then again, never been a fan of hers. Oh well. Anyway, what am I doing here?? Oh yeah. Apologizing for the lack of updating. I will not lie to you. I have had ample time this summer to update. I just………haven't. I went to Florida, and that is one excuse. And I will be going to my church camp (which is the best place in the world) in two weeks, and that is another "future" excuse. But for now, that is the best I can come up with. So hopefully you will forgive me. My birthday is coming up soon, and I will be 16!! I am so excited!! So you can review bunches for me as an early birthday present, right?? Yay!! Okay, shutting up now. By the way, Erin, I apologize for what I am about to do to you and I do not mean it personally, I swear!!  
  
Lindsey woke up the following morning just before the bugle. She was surprised to find Erin, wearing cloud-decorated pajama shorts and a skimpy white camisole, already awake. Erin was sitting on the outside steps, painting her toenails the color of the rainbow.  
  
"Nobody's going to see them, you know." Lindsey advised her matter-of-factly as she took a seat next to the new girl.  
  
"I like to go around barefoot." Erin shrugged indifferently, capping the nail polish container and setting it aside. She wiggled her toes to let them dry.   
  
"Not here, you won't." Lindsey shook her head with a dry little laugh. Erin looked at her sharply. "You have to watch out for snakes and scorpions here. And lizards. There's a really deadly kind of lizard that lives here."  
  
"You mean we're in fear for our lives here?" Erin demanded incredulously. "Well we're not going to stay here, are we?"  
  
Lindsey laughed again. She was really beginning to like Erin. "I'm afraid we've got no choice. Run away and you'll die in that desert real fast."  
  
Erin gulped. "They really thought this correctional camp out, didn't they?" She murmured finally, staring off at the stars.   
  
"Oh yeah." Lindsey nodded. The bugle sounded just then. "Come on. We'll get dressed, get our shovels and breakfast, and then we'll go dig holes."  
  
"Digging holes doesn't sound that hard." Erin declared as they climbed to their feet. Lindsey just laughed at her.   
  
Erin had the hardest time digging her hole. Her hands were dripping blood by the time she finished, and she only finished because all the others stayed behind to help her. It was crowded, with so many people working on one hole.   
  
They returned as a group to the showers. The boys meticulously stood guard while Lindsey took a shower, and then Erin. The boys couldn't understand why the girls couldn't just shower in front of each other, since the boys did. Both girls just laughed at them and rolled their eyes. Boys would never understand.   
  
After they had showered, Lindsey and Erin returned to the tent. Lindsey put on a tight white t-shirt that said CIA (cute intelligent angel) underneath her jumpsuit. (AN. That is the shirt I am wearing right now. I have NO imagination just now.) Erin pulled on a multi-colored tank top that looked like it was made of hundreds of other shirts, all ripped up and sewn back together in little patches. They pulled their wet hair up off their necks.  
  
"Come on, I'll take you to the rec room." Lindsey said, leading the way down the steps and up toward the rec room.  
  
"Why?" Erin demanded impatiently. "I thought you said there's nothing there but broken TVs and radios."  
  
"And boys that you have yet to meet." Lindsey reminded her.   
  
Erin's eyes lit up mischievously. She practically ran into the rec room. All activity stopped as the boys caught sight of their vibrant new companion. Erin left Lindsey immediately and sauntered up to the pool table.  
  
"Can I play?" She asked flirtatiously, batting her fake eyelashes at the boys playing the game. They looked at one another in shocked surprise. Lindsey stifled her laughter.  
  
"Sure." One of the boys finally mumbled, handing her a scuffed pool stick.   
  
"Well, I don't actually know how to play," Erin admitted, peering up at the guy innocently. "Perhaps you could show me how?"  
  
He smiled back at her.   
  
Lindsey slipped out of the rec room and went back to the tent. Nobody noticed her leave because they were so busy watching the new girl.  
  
Lindsey had mixed feelings about not being the only girl at Green Lake anymore. True, she did get the anonymity that she'd always longed for. But she was already starting to miss the boys bowing to her every need, scampering out of her way whenever they sensed she was in a bad mood. She lay down on her cot, trying to push the jealous feelings out of her mind.   
  
The thoughts didn't come back to the foremost of her mind until a couple days later. Magnet had stayed behind to help Erin with her hole, and the others were walking back.  
  
"Sugar, there's something we need to tell you," ZigZag said nervously, fiddling with his mounds of unruly hair.   
  
"What?" Lindsey immediately didn't like his tone.   
  
"You've got to do something about Erin," Armpit spoke up, his face slightly pleading. "She's giving all of us guys in D Tent a bad name."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Lindsey had no idea what they were talking about.  
  
The boys exchanged nervous glances, surprised that she didn't know. Finally, Squid cleared his throat. "Lindsey, Erin has already made quite a reputation for herself here at Greenlake. She's slept with at least one guy in every tent, and she's only been here for a few days."   
  
"She's going to get pregnant a zillion times." Zero spoke up.  
  
"She wears the patch." Lindsey dismissed that aspect with a wave of her hand, her mind preoccupied with the information of Erin's apparent sluttiness. (AN. I want you all to know that the Erin this character is based on is not really a slut. I promise!!)   
  
"She smokes?" Caveman asked in surprise.  
  
Lindsey looked at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "That's a good one." She complimented him. Then she caught his look of confusion. "Oh my god, you were serious!" She clapped her hand over her mouth.  
  
"What the hell is a patch?" ZigZag demanded. "The only patches I've heard of are the ones that help you stop smoking and the ones pirates wear."  
  
Lindsey rolled her eyes. "It's a birth control patch. I wear one too." She lifted her shirt up to reveal a low area of her hip, where a white patch was on her skin.  
  
"You sleep around?" Armpit asked her in surprise, not realizing the implications of that question.  
  
"Of course not." She said through tight lips. "It regulates your period so that it comes more evenly and less frequently."  
  
"So that's a good thing?" Zero asked uncertainly.  
  
"Yes." Lindsey rolled her eyes again. "So she's not getting pregnant. And I suppose it's a bad thing for her to be sleeping around, but what's that got to do with you? None of you have slept with her, have you?"  
  
"No." They all answered quickly, honestly. Lindsey believed them. She knew them well enough by now to know that they wouldn't lie to her.   
  
"So what's it got to do with you guys?" She demanded as they neared their tent.   
  
"Everybody thinks that we get some every night." Squid explained. "They think that she does it with us so often, we think we're better than them."  
  
"I thought that's what guys wanted other guys to think." Lindsey murmured. She was always learning new things.   
  
"Sometimes, it is." Caveman agreed. "But not when we're being insulted and threatened by the other campers here. Especially since none of it is true."  
  
"I suppose that is a problem. I wouldn't want any of you to get beaten up," Lindsey mused thoughtfully.  
  
"Hey, we won't get beat up!" ZigZag said defiantly. "We'll beat the shit out of any guy who tries to mess with us! We just don't want it to go that far………for your sake, Sugar."  
  
"Thanks." Lindsey said dryly. "All right, I'll talk to her."  
  
She had the opportunity to speak with the new girl after dinner that evening. The guys hurried on to the tent, and Lindsey stopped Erin.  
  
"Hey, take a walk with me." She suggested.  
  
"Okay." Erin shrugged. She was wearing her hair in many pigtails all over her head, so that her hair looked like a volcano range with erupting volcanoes everywhere.   
  
"Listen, I've been hearing some rumors about you," Lindsey said, checking to see that it was true first. "That you've been sleeping around."  
  
"Oh, it's already gotten around back to you?" Erin clapped her hands together excitedly. "Word travels fast here, doesn't it?"  
  
Lindsey stared at her new friend in shock. She could believe what she was hearing. Even when she'd been having sex regularly, she hadn't gone around and paraded it. It was always a shameful thing when people found out.  
  
"Oh come on, Lindsey, you aren't a good girl either." Erin rolled her eyes skeptically. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here."  
  
"If you know it's wrong, then why are you doing it?" Lindsey managed to demanded.   
  
Erin seemed to actually think about the question for a minute. Then she shrugged. "Because it's fun." She admitted.  
  
"But it's wrong, Erin. You are not only hurting yourself, you are hurting the boys here." Lindsey said desperately. "This is the closest they've ever been to a girl, and the way we act is the way they think of the rest of womankind. I've worked hard to give them the image of a hard-working, domineering yet sweet and feminine girl who can protect herself if she wants. A girl who has opinions about things, who's not just a pretty face! And by coming around sleeping with them whenever they ask it, you're giving them the idea that all girls are willing to sleep with them whenever they snap their fingers. They get back out into the real world and try that, and end up raping an innocent girl who just can't defend herself because they think that that's the way the world works."  
  
Erin paused thoughtfully, soaking Lindsey's little speech in. She nodded finally. "I guess I see what you're saying."  
  
"So you'll help me keep up the image that girls can beat the shit out of guys who don't respect them?" Lindsey asked hopefully.  
  
Erin gave in grudgingly. "All right. I'll help you." She sighed wistfully. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." Then she paused. "You know something funny? No matter how many times I came onto the guys in our tent, they always refused me."  
  
Lindsey smiled with pride. "They respect women. They know that you're just doing this for a good time, and they want to have sex with somebody who truly loves them as they are, not just somebody looking for a good time."  
  
"I see your point." Erin nodded. "All right. I'll stop."  
  
"Good." Lindsey smiled. "Come on. Let's go back to the tent. Don't say anything to anybody, just pretend that you got bored with them."  
  
"I can do that." Erin agreed with a yawn. "They are most unimaginative." Then she giggled wickedly. Lindsey couldn't help but smile.   
  
Hey hey!! I know that this was a fairly short chappy, but I had nothing else to put into it. So, I am sorry once more to Erin, because she is not a slut at all!! I just made her a slut for the sake of the story………Okay, well anyway, I have a couple other stories to update so I will shut up now. But you will review for me, for my birthday, won't you?? Okay, great!! smiles luvs hugs and kisses!! 


	10. the beginning of the prank wars

Okay, I know I haven't updated since this summer. Since before church camp!! That was forever ago!! Anyway, I'm sorry. I've been busy……… uh……… getting into the swing of school. Yeah, that's it. Unfortunately, I really AM going to be busy this winter. I'm the vice-president of our high school writing club, and I'm already in charge of planning so many things. Also, I'm a manager for our wrestling team. There's three managers, and I'm the only one who's not a senior!! That means next year I'll be all by myself!! (I can't decide if that's good or bad yet) Also, my friends and I are making an anime magazine and putting it all together, and I'm a co-editor with my friend Caitlin (Keitorin Asthore on if you want to read any of her stories). So if you like anime, we'll be putting the magazine up online once we get it done. I'll put up the website address once it's finally up. We're a bit behind schedule just now. Okay, how did I get off on this whole rampage? I honestly don't remember. I'm just really sorry for not updating before now and I will try not to let it get sooo freaking bad again, okay? Okay. Dealies.

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Lindsey and Erin spent the next two weeks together. They were always the first ones up in the morning, laughing and talking together loudly about things the boys didn't understand. They walked to their dig-site every morning with linked arms, munching on their handheld breakfast and still joking around with each other. They dug next to each other, ate lunch sitting cross-legged next to one another, and walked back to camp arm-in-arm. They would stand watch for each other vigorously while the other took a shower, and they would always sit in the tent after bathing and braid one another's hair. Then they would go to the rec-room and engage all the boys in a rowdy game of pool. During dinner, they would always make sly, mysterious references to things their male companions had no knowledge of, and then they would laugh hysterically when the guys blinked at them in a confused manner. They'd sit on each other's cot before bed, gossiping about the warden and Mr. Sir and the counselors. After the lights had been turned out, they would stick their heads close together and whisper late into the night.

Lindsey lay awake one night, the moonlight filtering through the open window by Zero's head and casting strange shadows on the wooden floor. Erin was already asleep by now, and soft gentle snores were coming from the boys.

Lindsey couldn't quite say why she was having trouble sleeping. Both her mind and her body were exhausted, screaming for sleep. She rolled over onto her side, her hair fanning out beneath her head as she stretched.

The idea hit her completely out of the blue. She sat straight up in bed, her eyes alight and a cry of excitement hovering on her lips.

She stopped herself from crying out at the last minute, clapping a hand over her chap-stick coated lips. Everyone was still asleep; even her sharp movement hadn't woken anyone.

Afraid that she would forget her idea, she rummaged around in her bag beside her cot and produced a small notebook and a pink feathery pen. She flipped the notebook open to the first blank page and scribbled her idea down so she wouldn't forget to tell Erin in the morning.

Tucking the notebook underneath her pillow where she was sure to remember it, she curled back up under her sheets and fell asleep.

She was up at dawn the next morning, still excited about her idea. She hadn't forgotten it at all, even through sleep.

Erin was still slumbering in her cot next door, so Lindsey set about getting dressed while she waited. She had just pulled her hair back in a messy bun when the bugle sounded.

Erin blinked sleepily, stretching luxuriously and yawning wide. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, afraid of morning-breath.

"I have something very important to discuss with you!" Lindsey whispered with a gleam in her eye, glancing over her shoulder at the sleepy boys dragging about the cabin as they got ready for the day.

Erin was instantly alert, an almost identical gleam in her own bright green eye. "Something important?" She repeated in a low, excited voice.

"Very." Lindsey nodded solemnly.

Without another word, Erin set about getting dressed. She pulled on a Strawberry Shortcake tank top (the old one, not the new one because they ruined it by modernizing Strawberry Shortcake) and her jumpsuit. She tied on her sneakers and pulled her hair back into two matching braids tied with lacy black ribbons.

Then the two girls linked arms as always and led the way from the tent to the Library to get their breakfast and their shovels. Unlike usual, they were not speaking. They both seemed oddly solemn with one another.

They hung behind as the boys led the way to their dig site for the day, their shovels slung negligently over their shoulders and their breakfast in their hands.

Erin leaned her head over toward Lindsey's. "So what's this very important thing you have to discuss with me?" She demanded in a low voice.

"Well," Lindsey drawled. "I was thinking last night about just how boring life is here at camp."

"I can definitely agree with you there." Erin agreed dryly.

"I was thinking we could, I dunno, maybe spice it up a little bit." The mischievous gleam was back in Lindsey's eyes.

"And just what did you have in mind?" Erin asked, equally mischievous.

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The next morning, when the bugle sounded, Lindsey and Erin were up like lightning. They threw on their clothes and stood by the door, violently urging their tent-mates to hurry.

They led the way briskly toward the Library. D-tent was the first tent there, but several other tents hurriedly got in line behind them. But nobody was moving forward.

"What's the hold-up?" Somebody from B-tent called from the back of the line. The question was passed up from boy to boy until it reached the front.

"Shut up!" Mr. Sir roared at the boys, his head stuck into the dark little shed. He slammed the doors shut and whirled on Pendanski. "Go get Lou!" He shouted.

"What am I, your bloody servant?" Pendanski grumbled.

"Do it!" Mr. Sir roared violently. Pendanski raced off without further goading. He arrived back in just a few moments with a very irritated-looking Warden.

"You better have a good excuse for dragging me outta bed at the crack of dawn." She growled menacingly, her curls going hay-wire.

"Oh it's a good excuse." Mr. Sir nodded vehemently.

"Excuse me?" The Warden repeated incredulously.

"Just looky here." Mr. Sir said quickly, opening the doors wide. All the campers could see inside the shed now.

It was empty.

"Where are all the shovels?" The Warden demanded in a deadly quiet voice. Her tone held that dangerous note that everyone had long since learned to recognize.

"I dunno." Mr. Sir admitted. "They were all here last night when I locked up. And when I unlocked this morning, not a single shovel here."

"Are you sure you locked up?" The Warden growled through clenched teeth, practically spitting fire from between her teeth.

"Positive." Mr. Sir was quick to assure her.

She pursed her lips in angry contemplation.

Lindsey and Erin shared a sly grin, then quickly turned their attention back to the scene at hand. Squid, however, had been watching his girlfriend and caught the veiled look.

He leaned down and whispered in Lindsey's ear, his breath hot on her neck, "You and Erin had something to do with this, didn't you."

She turned to look up at him with an innocent look on her face. "Whatever could you mean? You certainly wouldn't suspect little old us, would you?"

"You're not fooling me," He said, his heart pounding as she giggled girlishly and slid her arms around his neck playfully.

"Don't be silly." She said firmly. "How on earth could either Erin or myself have broken into the shed without harming the lock? And honestly, where would we hide that many shovels?"

"Lou! Lou!" Pendanski shouted, running back from her cabin where he had disappeared to for a moment. "Look what I found!" He was waving a shovel in the air.

"And just where did you get that?" The Warden demanded icily.

"The back of your car." Pendanski answered in a brutally honest voice.

"Here's another one!" Another counselor exclaimed, waving another shovel. "It was up in the tree in front of your cabin!"

Squid turned back to Lindsey, who still had her arms wrapped about his neck intimately. "And you were saying?" He drawled, a smirk spreading across his ruggedly handsome face.

"Don't worry," She teased in a low, sexy voice. "It'll take them ages to find where we've hidden all the shovels." And with that she crushed her mouth to his, right there in front of everybody.

She pulled away a second later, a smug expression on her pretty face. She slid her hand into his larger one. "Come on," She said loudly to her tent-mates. "We're obviously not going to be doing much digging today. Let's go back to bed."

And that's just what they did.

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I know it was a teeny bit short, but it was fun to write. You'll learn more about the prank wars in the next chappie, which should be posted before too terribly long. Remember, review review review and you'll get posties!! Lots of love!! 


	11. prank wars part 2

Okay, my updating has gotten ridiculous. Completely and totally. I should have updated every single one of my stories months and months ago, and yet I haven't. I haven't updated this one since last year at the beginning of school! That's almost a year! Minus a couple of months… but that's not important. The important thing is that I'm not going to let it come to that situation anymore. By the way, I mentioned both Caveman and Zero in the past couple of chapters, but just to let you know, both of them are gone. Twitch took Zero's place, Lindsey took Caveman's place, and Erin took X-ray's place. So Caveman and Zero are gone and I'm going to try and remember not to put them in anymore.

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They recovered enough shovels in a week for one tent, so A-tent was sent back out to brave the harsh desert. In another half a week, they'd discovered enough for B-tent. In the next week, the rest of the shovels were found and everybody went back to work.

"Well, that was a nice two and a half week vacay." Erin commented cheerfully as they all walked leisurely toward their dig-site in the early light of dawn. She was, as usual, arm in arm with Lindsey. The two were almost like conjoined twins. Fraternal conjoined twins, but twins all the same.

"We definitely needed it." Armpit stretched luxuriously, his shovel held easily in one hand.

"What are you talking about?" Magnet demanded incredulously. "You've only got about three weeks left before you're out of here!"

"So soon?" Lindsey's lower lip trembled slightly.

"Thank goodness." Armpit nodded, then looked quickly at the two girls. "I mean, of course I'll miss you Sugar, but it's not the same as being a free man."

"You sound like you're a slave escaping to the north back before the civil war." Twitch said crossly.

"It's basically the same, right?" Armpit shrugged indifferently, stopping at their dig spot and cramming his shovel into a crack in the ground. They all started their holes.

Erin had a brilliant idea while they were digging, but she didn't want to reveal it to Lindsey while the boys could here. Instead, she kept it to herself, nurturing the idea until the lunch truck came.

"I have something to tell you." She whispered to Lindsey as the boys all pushed and shoved for a spot in line.

"Hey Lindsey, I saved a spot for you!" Squid called from the second spot in line.

"Coming!" Lindsey called back. "Tell me while we eat? We can sit a ways away from the boys."

"Yeah." Erin nodded, and they hurried to get in line.

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The next afternoon, Lindsey and Erin were the first ones done with their holes. They kept whispering together excitedly and grinning like they were mad.

"What's with them?" ZigZag demanded after they had sprinted off back toward camp, their arms linked at the elbows.

"Who knows?" Magnet shrugged, watching them go. They had both taken their hair down, so it was flowing behind them as they ran in the most distracting manner.

"They've probably pulled another prank." Squid pointed out matter-of-factly. The boys all looked at one another, then finished their holes at top speed and raced after the girls. Some of them even cheated a little and didn't dig their whole hole.

They found the two girls showering when they got back. The boys were giving the showers a wide berth as they had learned to do, but they were whispering about something unnatural amongst themselves.

"What's going on?" Armpit pulled a guy from C-tent aside and asked him.

The guy looked at Armpit nervously. "It's those two girls from your tent, Lindsey and Erin."

"What about them? Yeah they're showering together, but it doesn't make them lesbians or anything." Magnet pointed out. The rest of D-tent had gathered around to listen to the C-tent boy.

"No, not that they're showering at the same time." The boy shook his head. "They've been showering for TEN minutes!"

"That's impossible!" Squid shook his head. "The token only lasts for three minutes."

"Well tell that to them. We've been waiting for ten minutes!" The boy maintained stubbornly. "And besides that, the water is hot!"

"No way!" They all turned to look. Sure enough, they could see the steam billowing up from the shower.

After a few more minutes, the girls shut off the water and took their time getting dressed. Then they left the shower stalls with towels wrapped around their soaked hair. The boys of their tent were ready to meet them.

"What-" Twitch began, but he was interrupted by the Warden. She came storming into the clearing like a mad giraffe.

"What the hell is going on here!" She bellowed. She had apparently picked something up on one of her hidden cameras or microphones.

Nobody said a word.

She stalked up to Erin and Lindsey, whose skin was red from the temperature of their showers. "What is going on with the showers, young ladies?" She demanded in a deadly, dangerous voice.

"We don't know, Ms. Warden ma'am." Erin said innocently, her lip trembling as though she was going to try. "We just put in our token and out came fifteen minutes of steaming of water!"

"That's impossible!" The Warden shook her head. "The hot water heater is only hooked up to MY cabin, and the tokens are only good for three minutes!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but honestly we don't know what happened." Lindsey answered in a confused voice. "Maybe the lines got switched up somehow? You should probably call in an electrician to fix it. My dad was an electrician before he died. They usually know what they're talking about."

The warden merely glared at them for a moment, then turned and stomped off to telephone an electrician. Erin and Lindsey smiled to one another, then sauntered off to comb through their wet hair.

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I know it's short, but honestly this isn't one of my favorite stories. I only keep updating it because my friend Erin (not the Erin in this story but the Erin in my other holes story) likes it so much. She keeps pestering me to update it, so I finally am. But just for her. But I am actually going to try to keep it updated, so put me on your author's alert! JK! Do whatever you want! I'll still love you!


	12. the passage of time

Okay, see, it hasn't been horrendously long since I last updated this story, right? Well, I'm sure Erin thinks so…We work together, so I see her even during the summer. And she's always pestering me to update this one…I dunno why…it's not that interesting…anyway, I just hope all of YOU like it! Ha ha! Anyway, here's the story!

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It took the warden a full week to get the electricians to fix the water lines. During that week, the campers enjoyed ridiculously long, hot showers.

About two weeks after the showers had been fixed, Armpit's eighteen months at Camp Greenlake was over.

"We're gonna miss you!" Lindsey cried, bleary-eyed, as she and Erin hugged him tightly. (There was enough of him for both of them to hug him at once.)

"I'll miss all you guys too." Armpit nodded, looking away so he wouldn't cry. As much as he hated Camp Greenlake, his tent-members were the closest thing to a family he'd ever had in his life.

"Promise you'll write bunches?" Erin demanded.

"I promise." Armpit agreed, and the two girls released them. Then he turned and shook hands with the D-tent boys. They were all unusually somber. Then Armpit, forever forward known as Theodore, climbed onto the bus and drove away from their lives.

"I can't believe two of us are already gone…" Lindsey mused as they sat down to dinner that night. "I've still got about seven months, myself."

"Only a month for me." ZigZag said.

"Two for me." Magnet spoke up.

"Squid?" Lindsey asked softly, turning to him. "How many more months until your sentence is over?"

There was a long pause. "Three." He said finally. Lindsey felt her breath catch in her throat. Only three more months with him…

The next day, January 6th, dawned bright and hot. Lindsey shuddered to think that she'd almost been at Camp Greenlake for a year. She dug her hole along with the others, and then walked back holding Squid's hand.

"Hey, there's the bus." Magnet stopped, pointing.

"Must be a new camper." Erin agreed, squinting. Pendanski came out of Mr. Sir's office, leading a girl over to them.

The girl was very tall, a good head taller than either Lindsey or Erin. She was very muscular; they could see her muscles rippling as she walked. She was very tanned, looking almost latino. Her hair was golden blonde and very curly. It didn't even reach to her shoulders. She had a scar going down one side of her face. She was dressed in a pair of pressed black slacks and a nice lavender tank top that appeared to have come from Express. God, how Lindsey missed Express.

"Everybody, this is your newest tent-mate: Jody Forrester." Pendanski introduced the girl. Then he hurriedly introduced Jody to all of them.

"Nice to meet you, Jody." Erin and Lindsey greeted her politely. Jody nodded back, looking extremely uncomfortable being there.

In another month, ZigZag's sentence was up and he left on the bus. He swore to write, and the others didn't doubt that he would. They had been getting letters weekly from X-ray and Armpit, or Rex and Theodore.

Jody wasn't fitting in well. She had grown to be friends with Lindsey and Erin, and she was even starting to open up to the guys in D-tent. But to the rest of the camp, she remained hostile and angry. She was the kind of girl who would beat up somebody for cat-calling to her, Erin and Lindsey realized quickly.

But Jody was strong. She'd played beach volleyball very seriously before being sent to Camp Greenlake, and she had no trouble at all digging her hole. She complained about the nasty food on occasion, but only very rarely. She didn't speak much, unless it was to Lindsey and Erin.

The camper that came to replace ZigZag was another boy. He was tall and lanky, with the beginnings of facial hair. His name was Justin Nowers, and he fit in quickly with the other boys. He received a nickname quickly: Precious. Erin and Lindsey came up with it. They thought it fit his personality, since he was such a sweetheart.

In another month, Magnet left. He was very sad, and almost cried outright. He managed to keep it in until he was back on the bus and heading toward society, now known as Jose.

Lindsey took his loss hard. Not only did his going away mean she only had one more month with Squid, it also meant that most of the original guys in d-tent were gone. The only ones that were left now was Squid and Twitch. It was a depressing thought.

It was another boy who replaced Magnet. He was big and burly, rude and perverted. Nobody like him from the very beginning. His name was Anthony, and Lindsey felt he took away from their tent greatly.

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Okay, sorry that this chappy was so ridiculously short. I just needed to get some time to pass, you know? But anyway, the next chappy will be important and (hopefully) long! So review!


	13. the end or is it?

Okay yeah, I'm on an updating rampage again so hopefully I can keep it updated. I always say that, and I never do. But anyway, so yeah, Erin and I have no classes together this year. Just lunch. But we're still writing a serial story together! It's funny! Okay yeah, I don't own anything that Lous Sacheor (or however you spell his name) owns. Got it? Good.

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With five months left of her sentence and only one month left of Squid's, Lindsey was beginning to feel terribly depressed. She loved Erin like a sister, she really did, but it wasn't the same as having Squid there with her. She couldn't even remember her life before him.

"You okay?" Erin asked her the following morning as they were digging their holes. Her hair was tied back in a funky little knot, and it made her look sixties-ish.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lindsey nodded, forcing a smile on her face. Erin nodded knowingly and gave her a reassuring hug.

"He'll write you, and I'm sure once you're out of here you'll meet up again." She whispered hopefully.

"I hope you're right." Lindsey replied.

Squid waited for Lindsey to finish digging her hole that day and they walked back to camp hand in hand. They didn't say anything about parting. It was like an unspoken rule. It was too sad for both of them.

They sat cross-legged on their cots in the tent, alone. "Lindsey," Squid took a deep breath. "What we've had these past several months is something infinitely special, but it's going to be so much harder once we're both out of this hell-hole." He began.

Lindsey couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was breaking up with her right before they had to break up anyway? What kind of an emotionless jerk was he, to be toying with her emotions like this? "You're breaking up with me?" She demanded coldly.

He blinked at her, then his face turned white. "NO!" He shouted forcefully. "No, that's not what I meant at all. I've been eighteen for about eight months already, almost a year. My birthday is in July."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lindsey demanded. "I've been eighteen since August. That changed nothing."

"But it does." He said passionately, taking her hands in his. "We're technically legal adults now. That means, once we're both out of here, we can get married!"

For the second time in as many minutes, Lindsey felt like she was having a heart attack. This time, though, it was a good heart attack. (Maybe that's an oxymoron…)

She immediately trailed off into dreamland, thinking of herself as Squid's bride. She'd make a beautiful bride, she'd always known that. And they could live together with Gabriella and Elizabeth and be one big happy family. She wouldn't even mind having more children, if that meant they would be Squid's.

"Lindey?" His voice brought her back to reality.

She blinked, and turned her dreamy face to him. "Oh, sorry." She murmured, a smile spreading across her face.

"Would you like that? I mean, do you accept?" He asked awkwardly, as though she might decline his offer of marriage.

"Of course I accept!" She flung herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and covering his face with kisses. "I want nothing more in the world to marry you!"

Squid breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled and held her close. "Good." He kissed her hair gently. "I'll be saving up every day you're not with me. I'll get us a house with a yard and I'll visit Gabby and Elizabeth every day and we'll be so happy!"

Lindsey sniffed as she began to cry.

"What's wrong?" He demanded incredulously.

"Nothing." She shook her head, nuzzling up closer to him as a tear slid down her cheek.

Somehow, with this knowledge that she would be able to spend the rest of her life with him, Lindsey managed to keep herself together when the end of the month came and he got on the bus as Alan Jackson to leave her.

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Only four more months left at camp greenlake! Don't worry, a lot of the story will happen once they leave camp greenlake. That's why I skipped over so many months while they were at camp. Okay yeah. So review. When I get 80 reviews, I will update a new chappie. That's only like 7 reviews. I have complete faith that you can manage it! Until next time!


	14. discoveries and secrets

Yep. So much for continuous posting. Anyway, so here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

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Lindsey managed to keep herself occupied while she waited for the rest of her sentence to be over. Erin and Jody (and the new camper Rachel who had taken Squid's place) kept her busy with wedding details.

"What color will your dress be?" Rachel, who was small and red-headed and wore glasses, asked dreamily as they dug their holes one mid-April morning.

"White. Pure white." Lindsey explained firmly. "And it's going to be strapless, and have a really long train, and I'm going to have a full veil and-" She stopped as her shovel hit something with a dull clunk.

"What was that?" Jody demanded, leaning over to look.

"I dunno." Lindsey mumbled, clawing at the dirt around the object. "Come help me get it out, somebody."

Erin squeezed herself into Lindsey's hole and together, they managed to dig the small wooden box out. It was locked.

"What do you think is inside it?" Rachel breathed in awe. "Treasure? Is it buries treasure? Is that what we're out here digging for?"

"No. It's too small and light to be buried treasure." Lindsey shook her head, giving the box a good shake. There was one small clink from within.

"So how do we open it?" Erin asked uncertainly, staring down at the box in Lindsey's dirty hands.

"Like this." Jody said, taking the box from Lindsey. Using her shovel and her strength, she chopped the lock right off.

The four girls crowded around the box as Lindsey lifted the lid. "Oh my god…" Jody murmured.

"Why would anybody bury this?" Rachel demanded, sounding angry at the audacity of whoever.

"We have to keep it. And use it." Erin said firmly.

"But where are we going to hide it? The Warden's got cameras and microphones all over camp!" Lindsey pointed out.

"We could just bury it out here where we found it and come back for it during the night whenever we need to use it." Rachel suggested.

"But how will we know which hole we buried it in?" Lindsey demanded stupidly.

"Like this." Jody picked up some random rocks lying around and formed a circle round the top of the hole. "We'll just find the hole with the circle around it."

"Good thinking." Lindsey said, shutting the box and sliding it back into the hole it had come from. She covered the edge showing with dirt. "Nobody but us will know that it's there."

"And we can't talk about it back at camp because the Warden will find out about it." Erin added seriously. The four of them shook hands on it and hurriedly finished their holes.

That night, Lindsey slipped out of their tent after everybody had gone to sleep. She took nothing but a flashlight, and crept along in the dark until she was far enough away to use the flashlight. She quickly located the hole with the circle of rocks around it and jumped inside (after first making sure there were no lizards). She pulled the box from the hole and opened the lid. She took out the wireless internet laptop and turned it on. It blinked into life.

She emailed X-Ray immediately. She asked him to get Squid's email address, that way the two of them could plan the wedding before she ever even got out of Camp Greenlake. Then she hut the computer down and hid it again. Then she crept back to camp and went to bed. She smiled as she rolled over to go to sleep. Four months would be a breeze if she could talk to Squid on a regular basis.

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Omg I know it was ridiculously short I just really don't have much to happen until she gets out of camp. I'll think of something really amazing for next chappy! 95 reviews please!


	15. prank wars part 3

Okay, sorry for my further lack of updating. I just don't have lots of free time, but whatever. I went on a cruise last week for spring break with my marching band, and it was an eleven hour drive to Jacksonville and an eleven hour drive back. So that was twenty-two hours during which I wrote. Woot.

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Lindsey woke up one morning about a month later feeling intensely lonely. True she had Erin, who was the closest girl friend she had had in a long time; but her mother was dead, both her daughters were in someone else's custody, and she hadn't seen the man she loved in a whole month.

She rolled over onto her side, her long, loose black hair fanning over the itchy pillowcase beneath her head. She didn't want to get up. She couldn't even fathom digging a hole every day for the rest of her three months. She wondered what on earth she could do to get out of working for a while…

She reached across the small walkway between cots and kicked Erin squarely in the small of her back. Erin rolled over, her brown and blonde hair falling over her face, and glared at Lindsey. "What the hell was that for?" She demanded bitterly.

"I don't want to work today." Lindsey whispered.

"I never want to work. What do you want me to do about it?" Erin answered.

Lindsey lowered her voice even more, so much that Erin could hardly hear her. "Pranks."

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Both girls took their time digging their holes that day, talking to one another in whispers. Jody felt a bit left-out, but said nothing. Rachel was too dreamy to notice much of what was happening around her.

Once they had finished their holes, they walked back to camp and promptly went to sleep in the tent.

Because of their nap, they were able to stay awake when the rest of the camp went to sleep that evening.

Lindsey looked around at the sleeping figures in her cabin. Anthony, big and lump-like, snored loudly. Justin was sprawled out, his mouth hanging open. Rachel was curled up into a tiny ball. Jody lay straight as a board. Twitch tossed restlessly in his sleep.

Glad that everyone was soundly asleep, Lindsey threw back her blanket and climbed to her bare feet. She reached out a hand that would be delicate if it wasn't for the callouses and shook Erin.

"I'm awake." Erin hissed through clenched teeth, climbing off her cot.

Lindsey, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, pulled an elastic from her wrist and tied her long hair back in a loose braid. She yanked a pair of orange socks and her boots onto her feet. Then she beckoned to Erin.

The two of them slipped out of the tent, down the steps, and across the clearing in the direction of the rec room.

"How long do you think it'll take the warden to figure out that we're getting cable?" Erin whispered, giggling behind her hand.

Lindsey shushed her, but she was smiling too. "Probably not too long. Doesn't miss too many things, that woman."

They pushed open the door to the rec room and slipped inside. The door wasn't locked. Nothing was ever locked except Mr. Sir's office and the warden's cabin. The furniture in the room loomed out of the darkness. Lindsey shivered. Even with the moonlight streaming through the windows, the dark and silent rec room was terrifying.

"Are you sure you've done this before?" Lindsey asked uneasily, checking the door to make sure nobody was coming as Erin pushed the television set away from the wall and kneeled down behind it.

"Of course." Erin said casually. "I know what I'm doing." She bit her lip, looking at all the wires at the back of the set. The truth was, she'd only ever watched somebody doing it before. And that was just the one time.

She shrugged, closed her eyes, and yanked a wire out of the television set. Nothing happened. She looked at the end of the cord, then jammed it into another hole. There were a couple of sparks, and Lindsey let out a little cry.

"Erin!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper. "Be careful!"

"I am being careful." Erin snapped, yanking the wire out of that slot. She looked at the end again, then jammed it into another slot. Even more sparks this time.

"Erin!" Lindsey shouted, not bothering to lower her voice. "The carpet!"

Erin blinked several times, then looked down at the carpet beneath her knees. The sparks had caught the old rug on fire! She leaped to her feet and backed away. The rug quickly caught the television on fire, then spread to the curtains and the wooden walls and floors.

"What do we do?" Erin asked hysterically.

"Get out of here!" Lindsey exclaimed, grabbing Erin's wrist and racing from the flaming building. "I've only got three months left in here! I'm not getting another eighteen for arson!"

The girls slunk nervously into their tent. Relieved to find everybody still fast asleep, they climbed into their bunks and pretended to be asleep.

The sound of fire trucks peeling into the camp fifteen minutes later woke everybody in the tent. Lindsey and Erin tried to act as worried and scared as everybody else.

It was nearing dawn before the fire was completely put out. The warden was so angry that they didn't even get out of digging. Lindsey was sure that it was one of the dumber things she'd ever done.

Only three more months, she thought to herself as she forced herself to dig her hole.

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Okay, there's that chappy. Hope you enjoyed it. Review for me!


	16. bad surprise

Okay, things are getting quite interesting in this story as Lindsey's time at Camp Greenlake winds down. You may hate me for this chappy, but whatever. It was a lot of fun to write! Here goes:

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Lindsey woke up from a nightmare about the Rec Room Fire, which had become legendary at Camp Greenlake already. It had been a whole month since the incident, but Lindsey was still dreaming about it. There had been a legal investigation which had resulted in bad news for the warden. Camp Greenlake was now being run by social workers working for the government, but that was beside the point. Each camper had been questioned thoroughly, and Lindsey was terrified that she had come off as guilty. Arson was, after all, a fairly major crime.

She rolled over and looked around the tent. It was deserted except for Erin, sleeping on the next cot over. Ever since Lou Walker had been taken into custody, the digging at Camp Greenlake had stopped and the campers were allowed to sleep in as late as they wanted, so long as they were up in time to make it to the meetings with their counselors.

Lindsey assumed it was close to eleven or twelve by now. She climbed off her cot and stretched, shaking off the fear from her nightmare. She tied her long, dark hair back with an elastic and pulled her orange jumpsuit on over her sophie shorts and tank top.

A muffled sob caught her attention, and she glanced over at the only occupied cot in the room. She had thought that Erin was asleep, but now she could see the girl's shoulders shaking slightly.

Lindsey walked over to the cot, sank down on the edge, and began to stroke her best friend's hair gently. "Hey," She murmured softly. "Want to tell me about it?"

"I'm a horrible person." Erin wept into her pillow.

"You're not a horrible person, Erin." Lindsey assured her calmly, still stroking the hair softly. "Just tell me what happened, okay?"

"I've missed two periods." Erin mumbled miserably. "Two!" She broke into hysterical sobs and her shoulders heaved convulsively. "I think I may be pregnant!"

Lindsey's gently massaging hand faltered, but then she resumed the comforting hair-playing. "I thought you stopped sleeping around after we had our little talk." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I did. For a while." Erin admitted, hiccupping. "But I guess bad habits die hard. It was just too ingrained in my nature, I guess."

"I haven't heard anybody talking about it." Lindsey couldn't help but feel hurt that her best friend had been keeping this from her for so long.

"I've been discreet and more careful." Erin rolled over onto her back, gasping for air. Her face was splotchy and red. Her eyes were puffy and shiny with tears.

"What about your birth control?" Lindsey demanded as a last, desperate hope. She wouldn't wish teen pregnancy on anybody, especially not her best friend.

"I stopped taking it months ago." Erin pushed her hair back off her sweaty forehead. "I ran out, and my folks can't afford to pay for it anymore."

Lindsey paused for a moment, then sighed. "What about the morning sickness? Have you been throwing up lately? Or been feeling nauseas?"

Erin's face cleared for a brief moment. "Well, no. I haven't been sick at all."

"Then maybe you aren't pregnant." Lindsey hardly dared to allow herself to hope. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll go see about a home pregnancy test."

"Okay." Erin sniffled.

Lindsey slid her feet into her boots and left the tent. It was hot and humid, and nobody was outside because they didn't have to be. She walked over to what used to be the warden's cabin. Now it was being used to get all the camp affairs in order.

An older, balding man of considerable girth opened the door when she knocked. Behind him, Lindsey could see four more men and two women. "Yes? Can I help you?" The portly man questioned.

"Can I talk to her?" Lindsey asked, pointing to the younger of the two women inside.

"Marie?" The man called, turning back into the room. "There's a girl here that wishes to speak with you."

The woman, Marie, came outside and shut the door behind her. She was a small woman in her mid to late twenties. She had lots of bleached blonde curls. "What's your name, sweetheart?" She asked gently, pushing her reading glasses up into her hair.

"Lindsey Miller." Lindsey answered.

"And what is that you wanted, Lindsey?" Marie asked nicely.

"I was wondering if you could get me a home pregnancy test. It's rather important." Lindsey fidgeted uncomfortably.

Marie paused, then nodded. "Alright."

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"Do you know who the father is?" Lindsey asked the following afternoon. She was sitting with Erin in their empty tent. Erin was braiding a lanyard out of yarn, and Lindsey was sketching a looseleaf notepad.

"Well we don't even know if I'm pregnant for sure." Erin answered. "But if I am, then no, I don't know. It could be anybody." Her face was unusually red as she said this, and her eyes darted around the tent as though they didn't know what to land on.

"Lindsey Miller, please come to the office." A voice said over the intercom speakers.

"I'll be right back." Lindsey muttered, leaving the tent. She walked over to the warden's cabin and knocked on the door. Marie opened it and came outside.

"Lindsey," She began with a heavy sigh. "I consulted your file, and it says that you already have two children by two different men. If this test comes out positive…"

"Oh, it's not for me!" Lindsey interrupted quickly. "It's for my friend! There's no way I'm pregnant! I've learned my lesson!"

"I'd like it very much if you would let me know who this is for." Marie said sternly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's my place to tell you that." Lindsey fidgeted awkwardly. She took the box from Marie, nodded politely, then returned to the tent.

"What was that all about?" Erin looked up from her lanyard.

"The pregnancy test got here." Lindsey tossed her best friend the box. "Come on. Let's go to the bathroom and try it."

So the two girls walked over to the newly constructed womens' bathhouse. The government officials who were now running Camp Greenlake had ordered them built. Erin disappeared into a stall to perform the test.

Lindsey perched herself on the counter and swung her heavily-booted feet back and forth. She turned to look in the mirror behind her.

She had changed physically as well as mentally and emotionally while at Greenlake. Her skin was darker, her black hair longer. Her muscles had filled out and her body was toned. Her face was full instead of gaunt and her eyes were bright and normally happy.

Erin came out of the stall, holding the test out at arms length. "What now?" She demanded.

"We wait." Lindsey answered. Erin tucked the test into her pocket and the two girls returned to their tent, where they could wait for the results.

Finally, a little plus sign appeared. Neither girl said anything for a long, long moment.

"So what should I do now?" Erin asked in a small voice, fresh tears standing out in her bright eyes.

"The best thing you could do right now is find out who the father is." Lindsey suggested. "Even though they never knew it, I know exactly who the fathers of my daughters are."

"But I already told, it could be anybody!" Erin lashed out fiercely.

"I know," Lindsey attempted to calm her friend down. "Why don't we start backwards and work our way forwards. Who can it not be?"

"It can be anybody!" Erin snapped.

"Surely there are some boys here that you have never slept with." Lindsey scoffed.

"I don't think I ever slept with Twitch." Erin offered feebly.

"And…" Lindsey prompted.

Erin's lower lip trembled, and then she burst into a fresh bout of tears. Lindsey tried to hug her, but Erin pushed her away. "Lindsey!" She sobbed uncontrollably, her shoulders heavily convulsively. "I-I think that Squid could be the father!"

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Dun dun dun! Oooh cliffy! Don't kill me! Tell me your reactions!


	17. more surprises

I'm sorry that the chapter for May is a little late. My excuse is that I was really swamped with exams, last minute school work, and a cruise I just got back from. So, sorry. But anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. And I'm sorry for that cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter.

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Lindsey sat cross-legged on her cot, carefully brushing through her long, black hair. It was something she'd taken to doing in the last month whenever she got angry, and that was whenever she thought about Erin. Her brush strokes were violent and occasionally painful, but still she brushed.

What else was she supposed to do?

Her best friend, the girl who was supposed to be there for her through thick and thin, had slept with the man Lindsey wanted to be with for the rest of her life. How was one supposed to react in a situation like that?

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"I think Squid may be the father!" The words burst from Erin's lips so rapidly that a normal person might not have caught the revelation. To Lindsey's ears, however, the secret was disclosed at the slowest possible speed.

She felt her breath catch in her throat, and there was a sharp flash of pain in her chest. She wondered, briefly, if this was what having your heart break felt like. She felt a blinding ache behind her eyes, and she had to shut them for a minute.

"What?" She whispered. Even to herself, her voice sounded distant and remote. It was as if she was hearing this on television, and none of it was actually happening to her.

Erin looked down at her hands, which were twisting miserably together in her lap. Her lower lip trembled. "I-I think Squid may be the father of my baby." She repeated. Her voice was little more than a whisper as well.

"You- you slept with Squid? Alan?" Lindsey blinked several times. There was an unusual tingling sensation just behind her eyes. Had she been thinking straight, she would have realized she was trying to cry and could not.

Erin actually did burst into tears again at this point. "It was once, Lindsey! Once!" She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

"How could you do this to me?" Was Lindsey's next question. Her voice was unusually calm and steady. Had she always been this in control of her emotions?

"I'm sorry!" Erin wailed. "I-I guess I had something to prove to myself. Some inferiority complex that I've been struggling with my entire life."

"An inferiority complex?"

"I wanted to prove to myself that I was better than you, at least in something. So I got him to sleep with me." Then she burst into a fresh bout of tears. "Once it was over, he told me he'd only done it because he had to get some somewhere, and you were too much of a lady to even ask. He wouldn't demean you by even suggesting sex." She sounded slightly bitter.

Under normal circumstances, Lindsey might have been touched. But only maybe. At this point in time, however, she felt nothing but anger and disappointment.

Wordlessly, she climbed to her feet and left the tent. And that was the last time in an entire month that Lindsey had spoken to her ex-best friend Erin.

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Lindsey realized that the arm holding her hairbrush had fallen limply to her lap. She gave herself a good shake. She almost wished she didn't have all this free time anymore. At least if she was digging holes, she might be exhausted enough to sleep at night.

She set the brush aside and lay down on her back. She thought of the way she had felt the last time Alan had kissed her and wondered if she'd ever be able to feel that way again.

She was just imagining the strong line of his jaw when the tent flap quivered and Erin came in. She had been whistling to herself, but stopped when she saw Lindsey and at least had the sense to look abashed.

"Hi." She murmured, sidling over to where her belongings were piled. Every time the two of them came face to face, she said something polite, but things could never be the same between them again.

Erin was in the first week of her second trimester already, but she wasn't showing very much yet. There was a small bump only visible when she was undressed, but Lindsey had noticed it right away.

The brunette sighed and took a seat on the cot next to her ex-friend. "Listen Lindsey," She began, and her green eyes truly were troubled.

Lindsey held up a hand to stop her. "If you're going to apologize, don't bother. I don't care anymore."

"Stop being so childish!" Erin snapped. "Do you think I wanted to get pregnant? Do you think I didn't realize it was a mistake halfway through it? Do you think I don't get it?" She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. "Listen, Squid agreed to raise both your children as his own, right? Like a real gentleman. Because he loves you."

Lindsey propped herself up on her elbows, slightly interested.

Erin took another deep breath, and looked away out the tent flap. When she looked back at Lindsey, she was very serious. "I've given this a lot of thought, and I'd like you to have my baby."

"What?" Lindsey demanded incredulously. You didn't just go around giving your baby away to the woman whose man you cheated with.

"Yeah," Erin nodded, looking down at her hands, which were resting on her abdomen now. "You're a much better mother already than I could ever be, and this sperm should have been yours anyway." She smiled slightly, and Lindsey was surprised she found humor in the joke.

"Yeah, you're right about that." She agreed.

"And if you won't agree to take my baby and pretend it's yours-"

"Which I won't. I can't live a lie like that." Lindsey said firmly, her eyes flashing. "It's one thing to raise a child as your own; it's another thing entirely to pretend that the child actually is your own."

"Then please agree to be my baby's godmother." Erin pleaded. "I need help, Lindsey, and you're the only one I can turn to!"

"You should have thought about that before you slept with Alan." Lindsey said coldly, rolling over. But she was seriously contemplating it.

Erin sighed heavily and got up to leave, believe her pleas to be futile. Lindsey sighed too, then rolled back over.

"Listen Erin, I'll be the godmother." She agreed in such a tone that suggested she was doing her friend a huge favor. "But I'm not going to raise it."

Erin grinned broadly and immediately hugged Lindsey.

The tent flap opened and an office attendant walked in. She was probably in her early forties, and she weighed more than both girls put together. She had a really bad perm and disgusting-looking acrylic nails that flashed in the bright afternoon sunlight.

"Lindsey, sweetheart, you've got a telephone call in the office." The woman told her.

"It better not be Alan." Lindsey muttered darkly, climbing to her feet. "I'm pretty sure that I'm not quite ready to deal with him just yet."

"Yeah." Erin nodded guiltily.

Lindsey followed the corpulent office attendant out of the tent and across the wasteland that was Camp Greenlake to the office. The phone was sitting out of the cradle on the desk, waiting for her. She scooped it up and held it to her ear. "Hello?" She said.

"Hey sweetheart." An unusually familiar male voice greeted her cheerfully. "I've been trying to get in touch with you for months! I've missed you so much!"

"Who the hell is this?" Lindsey demanded fiercely. The office attendants in the room with her looked up in surprise at the fear and horror in her voice.

"Don't be silly, sweetheart." The voice replied cheerfully. "It's your dad!"

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Dun dun dun! Okay, not so much of a cliff-hanger as last chapter, but still a cliff-hanger. Yay. I like those. They're fun to write. So, if you guys are bored with the music you've been listening to, find a Say Anything cd. They are pretty much my new favorite band. Listen to 'alive with the glory of love' and 'every man needs a molly.' Those are my two favorites. Okay, review please!


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